Food Recalls Amid the Holidays Burden the USA

At a time when families in the USA are preparing for the Thanksgiving holidays and looking forward to enjoying delicious meals, a series of food recalls has alarmed the nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, represented by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), recalled over 72,000 pounds of chicken and meat products shortly before the festivities due to a life-threatening Listeria outbreak. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued further warnings, also affecting eggs, fruits, and vegetables. These announcements draw additional attention to the risks of potential Salmonella and Listeria contamination. Interestingly, the latest herb and egg warnings do not appear to be connected to last week's meat recall. Three new recalls are at the forefront of the headlines. Affected are Kirkland Signature organic eggs, sold at Costco and possibly contaminated with Salmonella. Another recall includes a variety of ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Finally, whole cucumbers distributed in various states are also subject to recall measures due to the risk of Salmonella contamination. On Wednesday, the CDC announced that Handsome Brook Farms is voluntarily recalling 10,800 retail units of eggs. These organic pasture-raised eggs, offered under the Kirkland Signature brand, may be contaminated with Salmonella. The affected packages bear the UPC code 9661910680 if they have the Julian code 327 and an expiration date of January 5, 2025. The affected eggs were sold in 25 Costco locations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee starting November 22, 2024. Simultaneously, Gracie's Kitchens from New Haven, Connecticut, announced on Wednesday the recall of numerous ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products after it was found they might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.