Florida Firm Recalls Franks for Listeria

WASHINGTON, October 23, 1998--Dixie Packers, Inc., a Madison, Fla., meat processing firm, is voluntarily recalling 108,267 pounds of franks that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

Subject to recall are the products listed below bearing a sell-by date code beginning with "NOV 1398." In addition, "Est. 1415M" appears inside the USDA inspection legend on the product label of the 2 beef frank products listed first below; the other products, which contain poultry, have "P-6655" inside the USDA inspection seal.

• "W/D Brand 10 BEEF FRANKS"; 12-oz (340 g) size; "NOV 1398"; "Est. 1415M"

• "W/D Brand 8 JUMBO BEEF FRANKS"; 16-oz (1 lb) 454g size; "NOV 1398"; "Est. 1415M"

• "W/D Brand 8 JUMBO FRANKS Made With Turkey, Pork, Beef"; 16-oz (1 lb) 454g size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "W/D Brand 10 Artificially Colored FRANKS Made with Turkey, Pork, Beef"; 12-oz (340g) size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "W/D Brand BiG 60 FRANKS Made with Chicken, Pork, Beef, Artificially Colored"; 72-oz (4.5 lb) size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "Madison Brand Madison Family Pack Chicken Hot Dogs"; 64-oz (4 lb.) size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "Madison Brand 10 Chicken Hot Dogs"; 16-oz (1 lb.) 454g size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "Madison Brand 10 Chicken Hot Dogs"; 12-oz (340g) size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

• "Mission Ridge 10 CHICKEN HOT DOGS"; 12-oz size; "NOV 1398"; "P-6655"

Only products with a sell-by date code beginning with "NOV 1398" are being recalled.

The products were distributed to Winn-Dixie Stores, which are located in the following 14 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Some of the franks were also distributed to the Bahamas.

"Because of the potential foodborne illness hazard, we urge consumers who have purchased the suspect product to return it to the place of purchase," said Thomas J. Billy, administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

USDA discovered the problem after product sampled from a Tallahassee, Fla., retail store tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease. In general, healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. The most common manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis, which has symptoms of high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, and nausea. However, listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems--infants, the frail or elderly, and persons with chronic disease or HIV infection or taking chemotherapy for cancer.

Consumers with questions about the recall may phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.

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