USDA Recalls 10 Million Pounds of Meat and Poultry Over Listeria Fears

The USDA posted a recall notice on its website Wednesday for “9,986,245 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products that may be adulterated,” with listeria. The meat was produced by Oklahoma-based BrucePac, but if you’re wondering how to avoid those products, you’re out of luck at the moment. The recall doesn’t give any specific product names to avoid.

BrucePac’s website says it makes “custom-crafted, pre-cooked proteins for top brands in Retail, leading foodservice operators, and other channels.” But it’s not clear what consumers should be looking out for to steer clear of these products. And USDA’s recall doesn’t provide any more clarity aside from noting the products “bear establishment numbers ‘51205 or P-51205’ inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.”

The different brands that BrucePac produces meat for include Urban Bruce and City Grillers, according to the company’s website, though it’s not clear if those specific brands include recalled meat. The company’s website also notes production of meat for private labels, meaning there could be other brands at retailers with listeria but we simply don’t know what those are at the moment.

The food was produced from June 19, 2024 to October 8, 2024, according to the USDA, which is notable because that end date was just yesterday. Gizmodo reached out to both USDA and BrucePac in an attempt to learn more about what products might be impacted by the recall but didn’t immediately hear back.

Thankfully, the recall notes that there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from consumption of the recalled products. But it’s still not clear how the average consumer might be able to protect themselves if they don’t have more information about what products are actually being recalled.

The listeria was only discovered after USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) performed “routine product testing” of poultry products produced by BrucePac and they came back positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

“FSIS is concerned that some product may be available for use in restaurants, institutions, and other establishments. These other establishments may have used affected meat and poultry in RTE products that may be on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” the recall posted to the USDA recall reads.

“Restaurants, institutions, and other establishments are urged not to serve or use these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the recall continues.

Listeria is a serious problem that can cause severe illness in medically vulnerable and pregnant people. Boar’s Head recently issued a recall of over 7 million pounds of meat after listeria was detected. That listeria outbreak has caused at least 59 hospitalizations in 19 states and has killed 10 people, according to the CDC. Top Democrats have even called for a criminal investigation as Boar’s Head has shut down one meat plant in Virginia permanently and promised to institute stricter health and safety measures.

Gizmodo will update this post if we hear back from the USDA or BrucePac to get clarity on what meat and poultry products consumers should avoid.