Louisiana company recalls 468K pounds of meat

NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said a Louisiana-based meatpacking company has expanded a recall of meat products because of possible bacterial contamination. No illnesses have been reported.

The Manda Packing Company recall announced last week now includes 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, Tasso pork, ham shanks, hog headcheese, corned beef and pastrami.

The agriculture department said on Friday the products were recalled because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The products were shipped to retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service listed eight types of meat sold under 41 different names with various "sell by" dates. Its news release said some products may have been sliced at retail delis, and if so will not bear packaging information.

A statement posted Saturday on the company's website said the recalled meats were produced at Manda's facility in Baker, La. between Feb. 27 and April 9.

The USDA said eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease for those with weakened immune systems. It also can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

"Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis," the statement said.

"We are committed to work with USDA in reviewing and enhancing our food safety system so we can continue to ensure that our products are safe, wholesome and worthy of our brand name," Josh Yarborough, director of quality assurance for Manda, said in Saturday's statement.

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Online:

USDA news release:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News--&--Events/Recall--028--2013--Expanded/index.asp

Manda Meat Packing statement:

http://www.mandafinemeats.com/Manda%20Baker%20Recall%20Statement%204-12-13.pdf