Nearly 8.5 million pounds of Tyson chicken recalled due to Listeria concerns

Tyson Food Inc. is recalling nearly 8.5 million pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a press release on Saturday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Food Safety and Inspection Service was notified in June of two people who were sick with listeriosis, an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, according to the release. An investigation, which identified three cases of the illness between April and June, revealed one person had died from listeriosis.

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The chicken products include frozen, fully-cooked chicken such as Tyson Pulled Chicken Breast, Tyson Fully Cooked Diced Grilled Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Tyson Fully Cooked, Char-Broiled Boneless Chicken Meat for Fajitas and more.

The contaminated items were made between December 26, 2020 and April 13, 2021, according to the release. They're marked establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The items were distributed across the United States to both retailers and facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and schools, the USDA said in the press release.

Those who are the most affected by the illness are primarily older adults, persons with weakened immune systems and pregnant women and newborns, according to the release.

The USDA and FSIS advise that consumers with bags of the potentially contaminated chicken dispose of it or return it to wherever they bought it.