Heinz recalls contaminated packaged turkey bacon amid 4th of July
The affected products include Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original 12oz, Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon 36 oz (3-12 oz packs) and Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original 48 oz (4-12oz). According to the USDA, the products are believed to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes - a bacteria capable of causing serious infections in humans.
While a listeria infection usually causes mild fever, headache and diarrhea in most people, it can be deadly for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. These items were shipped to multiple retail locations nationwide including Target and some were even exported to the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong.
As of now, no reports of illness caused by the infected products have been reported by officials and consumers have been asked to either discard the packages or return them to the store of purchase. Officials noted that the 12oz package has use-by dates from July 18 to August 2, 2025 with UPC 071871548601; 36oz packages have use-by dates from July 23 to September 4, 2025 with UPC 071871548748; and 48oz packages have use-by dates from July 18 to September 4, 2025 with UPC 071871548793.
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said in an official statement: 'At Kraft Heinz, nothing matters more to us than the safety of our products and the well-being of the families who trust them. In line with our safety protocols, we are actively working with all retail partners and distributors to remove the potentially impacted product from circulation.'
People can become infected with listeria from contaminated food items such as seafood, deli meats, hot dogs, unpasteurized fruit juices, soft cheeses and sprouts. In this case, it is possible that the turkey bacon may have become contaminated with the bacteria through poor hygiene during processing, contact with contaminated surfaces during packaging or even through mishandling during transportation. The bacteria can survive the stomach acid and travel to the intestine, from which they may migrate into the bloodstream.
Most healthy adults will start to feel sick within a couple of days of consuming contaminated food. It usually starts with flu-like symptoms - a fever, muscle aches or nausea - before progressing to vomiting and diarrhea. Some people begin to feel sick weeks or months after the initial infection. This is because listeria can go dormant when faced with environmental stress, such as in water without nutrients or in the presence of detergents. It can also spread to the central nervous system and cause a stiff neck, seizures, confusion and a loss of balance.
In the most severe cases, listeria can lead to meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord or pus buildup in the brain which can be deadly to human life. However, pregnant woman may have mild or no symptoms but can still pass the infection to the fetus, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Babies born with a listeria infection can have developmental delays, develop blindness, paralysis and may even face organ failure - which could lead to death. Every year, about 1,600 people Americans end up with listeria out of which nearly 300 die from the infection. Treatment for listeria infections usually includes taking antibiotics such as sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin. Officials claim that the contamination was discovered after it was tested for bacteria in a Kraft Heinz lab. Consumers with questions have been asked to contact Kraft Heinz's consumer hotline at 1-800-280-7185.
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