The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS has warned against frozen, raw, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken products for possible Salmonella contamination.
The public health alert was issued due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella Enteritidis that may be associated with these chicken products. The affected items may be labeled as chicken cordon bleu, chicken with broccoli and cheese, or chicken Kiev.
The agency has given the warning to remind consumers about the proper handling and cooking of raw poultry products. FSIS noted that the products of concern may appear to be ready-to-eat but are in fact raw and need to be fully cooked before consumption.
FSIS noted that it is investigating a Salmonella Enteritidis illness cluster with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC and state partners. Based on available information, FSIS suspects that there may be a link between the frozen, raw, breaded, and pre-browned stuffed chicken products and this illness cluster.
Cases have been identified with illness onset dates ranging from February 21, 2021 to May 7, 2021.
As part of the probe, the raw product samples collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture from a retail store tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.
Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, a bacterial foodborne illnesses. The symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 6 hours to 6 days after exposure to the organism. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness.
The agency noted that at this time, the production lots tested in Minnesota are not known to have been purchased by any of the case patients, and that it has not received any purchase documentation, shopper records, or other traceable information.
FSIS said it does not have the necessary information to request a recall, but will continue to evaluate any new illness or traceable information as it becomes available.
The investigation is ongoing, and FSIS continues to work with the CDC and state partners.
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