Infant Dies in Listeria Outbreak Linked to Ready-to-Eat Products, CDC says

Recalled Yu Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. FSIS

An infant has died due to a listeria infection that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked to Yu-Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

“Eleven people infected with this outbreak strain Listeria have been reported from four states. Of the eleven people infected, nine people have been hospitalized. One person, an infant, has died in California,” the CDC said on Nov. 22.

“Interviews with sick people and laboratory findings show that Yu-Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are making people sick,” the agency said.

The CDC’s media alert comes after the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a statement on Nov. 21 stating that the South Carolina-based Yu Shang Food, Inc. has recalled a large quantity of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products sold nationwide due to listeria concerns.

The FSIS said the withdrawal covers about 72,240 pounds of product. It expands a previous recall issued by Yu Shang on Nov. 9, when the company withdrew about 4,589 pounds of products from the market.

FSIS noted that the current recall applies to all RTE items manufactured by the company before Oct. 28. “The products subject to recall bear establishment number ‘P-46684’ or ‘EST. M46684’ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide and available for purchase online.”

The CDC said that while these items have been recalled, “some items may still be in people’s refrigerators or freezers. Examples of recalled foods include pork hock, chicken feet, pork feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork tongue.”

The risk of listeria contamination was discovered after routine testing by FSIS in October found the presence of the bacteria in some of the items manufactured by the company.

“Consuming 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,” according to the agency.

“Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract.”

FSIS said customers at a higher risk of infection who have already consumed the recalled items and experience flu-like symptoms are advised to contact a health care provider.

The agency asked people who bought the products and have not yet consumed them to either return the items for a refund or dispose of them. Those who have queries can contact Yu Shang Food at 864-310-6313.

Authorities are now checking whether the bacterial strain in this recall is the same as the one involved in a multistate listeria outbreak currently being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies.

Case-Fatality Rate

According to the CDC, listeriosis is the third largest cause of death in the United States from foodborne illness. Around 260 Americans are estimated to die every year from the illness.

The case-fatality rate of listeriosis is around 20 percent, the agency noted. Among pregnant women, the infection results in the death of newborns or fetal loss in close to 25 percent of cases.

In July, a group of lawmakers introduced the Federal Food Administration Act, which seeks to establish a single federal agency to oversee food safety in the country.

The new agency would take over food responsibilities currently overseen by the FDA.

“I believe we need a single food safety agency solely focused on keeping the foods that we eat, safe,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said in a July 23 statement. “Creating a single food safety agency could prevent avoidable product contaminations and subsequent recalls that disrupt the supply chain, contribute to rising prices, and in many cases, result in consumer illness and death.”

The Epoch Times contacted Yu Shang Food for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.