WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., doing business as Margherita Meats, Inc., is recalling around 10,990 pounds of ready-to-eat or RTE pepperoni products citing possible Bacillus Cereus contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS announced.
In similar recalls, Alexander & Hornung, a business unit of Perdue Premium Meat Co., Inc., last week expanded its recall of fully cooked ham and pepperoni products to 2.32 million pounds from 234,391 pounds due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Smithfield Packaged Meats' recall involves 8-oz. plastic shrink-wrapped packages containing unsliced pepperoni 'Margherita PEPPERONI' with lot code P1931C and a 'use by date' of 12-14-21.
The RTE unsliced pepperoni product was produced and packaged on June 17, 2021. These products bear establishment number 'EST. 19' inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were shipped to retail locations across the United States.
The recall was initiated after the Department of Defense notified FSIS that they found Bacillus cereus or B. cereus during routine product testing.
B. cereus is a toxin-producing microorganism that causes diarrhea and vomiting in people. Those with compromised immune systems are at risk for more severe illness. The usual treatment include vigorous rehydration and other supportive care including antibiotics.
However, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company has not received any confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged to throw them away or return to the place of purchase.
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