Philly School District impacted by nationwide recall of certain meals due to listeria concerns
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said there have not been any reports of illnesses caused by the meals from an Oklahoma supplier.
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The Philadelphia School District said Friday it was impacted by a nationwide recall of meat products from an Oklahoma supplier due to listeria concerns, though there have been no reports yet of people getting sick.
Oz Hill, interim deputy superintendent of operations, said in a notice posted on the district’s website that the district was notified Friday by Whitsons Culinary Group, which is a meal provider for schools, that certain chicken products were subject to a recall.
The district provided a link to a list of around 200 pre-K sites and schools that were provided the products.
“Fortunately, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Division (FSIS), there are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of those meals,” Hill said.
The meals and dates served include:
For pre-K sites, chicken and broccoli alfredo penne served on Oct. 8.
For pre-K children with a food allergy substitution, chicken strips honey mustard green bean served between Oct 4 to Oct. 10, and chicken Caribbean pineapple sauce rice carrots served between Oct. 4 to Oct. 10.
For K-12 sites, chicken with BBQ sauce rice baked beans served on Sept. 23.
“The District’s Division of Food Services is removing all remaining items from all school meal services. Your child will not be served this item moving forward,” Hill said.
Anyone with questions about the situation can call 215-400-5600 or email recallnotification101024@philasd.org.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that BrucePac was recalling nearly 10 million pounds ready-to-eat meat and poultry from its facility in Durant, Oklahoma.
“The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced from June 19, 2024, to October 8, 2024. These products were shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide then distributed to restaurants and institutions,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
“The problem was discovered after FSIS performed routine product testing of finished product containing RTE poultry products produced by BrucePac and confirmed those products positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Subsequent FSIS investigation identified BrucePac RTE chicken as the source of the Listeria monocytogenes,” the agency said.
“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider,” the agency said.
”Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected,” the agency said.