BrucePac Meat Recall Widens As Taco Kits Removed in 30 States

A meat recall involving BrucePac has expanded to 30 states, with taco kits now being pulled from shelves due to safety concerns.

Oregon-based manufacturer Reser’s Fine Foods announced Friday that it would be recalling seven types of meal kits that include chicken supplied by BrucePac over fears they may be contaminated with listeria.

Listeriosis—an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria—primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women, and can be serious or fatal.

Newsweek has contacted BrucePac and Reser’s Fine Foods for comment via email and online form.

The affected products include the Don Pancho Chicken Street Taco Express Meal Kit, the Don Pancho Chicken Quesadilla Express Meal Kit, the Don Pancho Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Express Meal Kit, as well as the Bistro 28 Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Express Meal Kit, the Bistro 28 Chicken Burrito Bowl Express Meal Kit, the Bistro 28 Chicken Street Taco Express Meal Kit, and the Bistro 28 Chicken Quesadilla Express Meal Kit.

Consumers who have purchased these kits are warned not to consume them and to return them to the store or throw them away.

All affected products have a “best by” dates between November 7, 2024 and November 21, 2024.

The recall applies to products sold in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.

Reser’s Fine Foods is no longer using any ingredients from BrucePac’s impacted facility, according to the FDA.

It comes after Oklahoma-based BrucePac recalled 75 of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry products on Wednesday over possible listeria contamination.

Listeria was discovered by the FSIS during a routine inspection of a product containing BrucePac ready-to-eat poultry products, which tested positive for the infection.

Further investigation by the FSIS confirmed that BrucePac chicken was the source, and the recall of nearly 10 million pounds of BrucePac meat was announced on Wednesday.

Listeria affects approximately 1,600 people each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness, killing about 20 percent of those infected.

So far, no cases of illness have been reported in relation to these BrucePac products, but those at high risk of listeriosis who experience flu-like symptoms within two months of consuming potentially contaminated products should seek medical help and tell their healthcare provider, the FSIS has advised.

Listeriosis symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, diarrhea, and convulsions.

In pregnant women, listeriosis can spread to the fetus and cause miscarriages, stillbirths or premature delivery, or the baby can be born with listeriosis, which can be fatal.

Immunocompromised and elderly people are more likely to be seriously affected by listeriosis, but the infection can also cause reactions in people outside these groups.

Earlier this year, Boar’s Head deli meat products were voluntarily recalled due to listeria contamination. The incident resulted in 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths.