One Ton of Burritos Recalled Because of Listeria

Posted by Fred Pritzker in Listeria Recall

More than one ton of beef and bean burrito products are being recalled by Windsor Foods of Riverside, California, after the company detected the potentially deadly bacterium Listeria monocytogenes in a sample.

In this case, the individually wrapped burritos sold at retail do not bear any coding, so consumers should watch for any burrito sold under the “Butcher Boy” brand name. A list of stores where the burritos were delivered will be posted by the USDA when it becomes available.

The announcement was made Friday by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which noted a high health risk. So far, FSIS is not aware of illness reports from people who have eaten the Butcher Boy burritos.

The recall covers individually wrapped “Butcher Boy Red Chile Beef and Bean Burritos.” They come in 18-pound frozen cases with 72 burritos to a case. The recalled cases were produced August 3 and shipped to a food storage center in Minnesota for further distribution.

The cases are marked with USDA establishment number EST 1905, package code 1219215 and case code 2080001.

Listeria monocytogenes is less common than other pathogens that contaminate our food, but it can cause the potentially fatal disease of listeriosis – which killed 22 Canadians last year in a terrible outbreak caused by contaminated deli meats made in Toronto.

Listeriosis can cause high fever, stiff neck, severe headache and nausea. It carries an additional risk of infection to pregnant women because it is known to cause stillbirth or miscarriage.