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Over 91K pounds of ground turkey recalled due to possible salmonella contamination

Posted at 6:12 AM, Nov 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-18 13:02:28-05

Less than a week away from Thanksgiving, Jennie-O recalled 91,388 pounds of raw ground turkey products due to a potential salmonella contamination, according to the USDA.

The raw products were produced on Sept. 11, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:

  • 1-lb. packages of "Jennie-O GROUND TURKEY 93% LEAN | 7% FAT" with "Use by" dates of 10/01/2018 and 10/02/2018.
  • 1-lb. packages of "Jennie-O TACO SEASONED GROUND TURKEY" with a "Use by" date of 10/02/2018.
  • 1-lb. packages of "Jennie-O GROUND TURKEY 85% LEAN | 15% FAT" with a "Use by" date of 10/02/2018.
  • 1-lb. packages of "Jennie-O ITALIAN SEASONED GROUND TURKEY" with a "Use by" date of 10/02/2018.

The current salmonella outbreak involves 164 patients in 35 states. The USDA says a patient with a sample of Jennie-O brand ground turkey tested positive for salmonella Reading and the sample from the turkey matches the outbreak strain.

Customers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. Those products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

A statement from Steve Lykken, president of Jennie-O Turkey is below: 

“On behalf of the thousands of Jennie-O team members, we were concerned to learn that someone became ill after exposure to Salmonella in a raw turkey product. The turkey industry has been working together for many years to reduce Salmonella. Despite these efforts, this particular Salmonella strain can be found in 29 different manufacturing plants from 19 different companies, according to government
agencies.

We know the issue of Salmonella isn’t specific to Jennie-O, and to that end, we plan on continuing our leadership role in the effort to reduce Salmonella and educate consumers on how to safely handle and prepare raw turkey and are calling on others in the industry to do the same. We will continue to collaborate on industry best practices with our peers in the turkey industry.

As always, turkey remains safe to consume when handled and prepared properly. Jennie-O has information available on its website with step-by-step instructions on how to safely prepare and enjoy turkey.”