That being said, the FSIS remains highly concerned that the potentially contaminated turkey is sitting in many consumers’ freezers. If you believe you purchased any of the products listed below, the USDA strongly urges you not to consume them. Instead, throw them away or return them to the location they were originally purchased from. (And retail locations that may receive returned product from consumers should destroy this product immediately, too.) The raw ground turkey products were produced on December 18, 2020 through December 29, 2020, and sold under the brand names Nature’s Promise, Wegman’s, and Plainville Farms. They bear the establishment number EST. P-244 which you can find inside the USDA’s mark of inspection. These items were shipped to hundreds of retail locations nationwide. These are the specific items covered by the FSIS’s public health alert, which you can find images of at the end of this article:
1-lb. packages of Nature’s Promise Free from 94% LEAN | 6% FAT Ground Turkey with Use by/freeze/sell by date of 1/1/21, 1/3/21,1/4/21, 1/8/21 and 1/10/21 on the front of the package.1-lb. packages of Wegman 94% LEAN | 6% FAT Ground Turkey with Use by/freeze/sell by date of 1/3/21, 1/4/21, 1/8/21 and 1/10/21 on the front of the package.3-lb. packages of Wegman 94% LEAN | 6% FAT Ground Turkey with Use by/freeze/sell by date of 1/3/21, 1/4/21, 1/8/21 and 1/10/21 on the front of the package.1-lb. packages of Plainville Farms Ground White Turkey 93% | 7% Fat with Use by/freeze/sell by date of 1/10/21 on the front of the package.
Currently, the FSIS and its public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and regulatory officials, are investigating a multi-state outbreak of 28 Salmonella Hadar illnesses in 12 states. Every one of these cases had onset dates ranging from December 28, 2020 through March 4, 2021. According to the USDA’s report, “The traceback investigation for one case patient identified the patient consumed ground turkey produced by Plainville Brands, LLC. An intact, unopened package of Plainville Brands’ ground turkey collected from this case-patient’s home tested positive for Salmonella Hadar and was closely related genetically to the sample from the patient.” However, evidence collected to date does not link all illnesses to Plainville Brands, and it’s likely that additional product from other establishments may be involved. We will keep you posted as soon as we hear more information on this. The FSIS and the CDC (plus state and local public health partners) are still in the weeds of the investigation process. It goes without saying that Salmonella is no joke. “Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses,” say the FSIS. “The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.” The FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume raw ground turkey that has been cooked to a temperature of 165°F. The only way to confirm the poultry item is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature. Consumers with questions about the public health alert can contact Yusef Robb at (323)384-1789 or by email at yusef@tkCommunicationsLLC.com. Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
