If You Bought This at Aldi, Throw It Away Now, USDA Says
The products are being pulled over the serious safety threat they may present to customers.
Aldi is one of the most beloved grocery destinations throughout the U.S. and beyond, with its low prices and wealth of specialty goods (ahem, cheese advent calendar) earning a legion of loyal customers. However, its devoted shoppers may be in for a rude awakening now that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is warning customers not to eat two Aldi foods right now due to the health risks they may present. Read on to discover if you should be tossing these Aldi products now.
RELATED: This Entire Food Company Just Shut Down Following Safety Concerns.
Two of Aldi's Kirkwood brand chicken products have been recalled.
On Aug. 9, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that 5-oz. individually plastic-wrapped packages of Kirkwood Raw Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu and Kirkwood Raw Stuffed Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese, sold at Aldi stores had been recalled by manufacturer Serenade Foods of Milford, Indiana due to potential contamination with Salmonella Enteritidis.
The packages of chicken cordon bleu are printed with lot code CB 1056 and best-if-used-by date of Feb. 25, 2023. Te packages of broccoli and cheese-stuffed chicken are printed with lot code BR 1055 and best-if-used-by date of Feb. 24, 2023. Both products are printed with establishment number P- 2375 within the USDA mark of inspection.
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Salmonella can cause serious health complications.
Most otherwise healthy individuals will experience symptoms like those related to food poisoning if they develop a salmonella infection, including diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms tend to start within six days of exposure and conclude within a week.
However, among older adults, young children, and immunocompromised individuals, salmonella infections can cause more serious health issues that require hospitalization or long-term medical treatment; certain types of salmonella have been linked to the development of typhoid fever, while others may affect the joints or central nervous system.
Three additional products from other retailers are being recalled, too.
The Aldi chicken products are not the only ones being pulled from stores by Serenade Foods over salmonella concerns right now. The company is recalling approximately 59,251 pounds of frozen, raw, breaded, and pre-browned stuffed chicken products in total due to potential salmonella contamination.
The other products included in the recall are 5-oz. individually plastic-wrapped packages of Dutch Farms Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese, with lot code 1055 and best-if-used-by date of Feb. 24, 2023; 5-oz. individually plastic-wrapped packages of Milford Valley Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese with lot code BR 1055 and best-if-used-by date of Feb. 24, 2023; and 10-oz. boxes of two individually plastic-wrapped packages of Milford Valley Chicken Cordon Bleu with lot code CB 1055 and best-if-used-by date of Feb. 24, 2023. The aforementioned products also have establishment number P- 2375 inside the USDA mark of inspection on their packaging.
The potential contamination was first announced in June.
On June 2, the FSIS issued a public health alert for multiple frozen, raw, breaded, and pre-browned stuffed chicken products due to potential salmonella contamination. It was announced after the Minnesota Department of Agriculture had discovered Salmonella Enteritidis in a sample of frozen, raw, breaded, stuffed chicken, but there was not yet enough information available to request a full recall.
The FSIS said they were collaborating with the CDC and local authorities to investigate multiple illnesses that took place between Feb. 21, 2021, and May 7, 2021.
If you purchased the chicken, don't eat it.
If you have any of the recalled chicken products at home, do not eat them, the FSIS warns.
Instead, either throw them away or return them to the store from which they were purchased for a refund. If you have questions related to the recall, call Serenade Foods at (866) 873-7589.
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