Company Recalls Cheeseburgers Sent To Oklahoma

Saturday, March 4th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HOUSTON (AP) -- Regal Food Service of Houston issued a recall of its 6.5 ounce Double Cheeseburgers on Saturday after tests showed they may be contaminated with Lysteria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause fatal infections in children and the elderly.

The frozen burgers consist of two meat patties, two cheese slices and two pieces of bread, said Ruth Welch, a spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.

The sandwiches are packaged in clear plastic containers and marked with a four digit code. All codes have been recalled. They were sold to wholesale outlets and distributed to convenience stores, truck stops and vending machines in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

"If anybody sees the product out there, they shouldn't consume it," Welch said. "There may be a lot of product still out there, I don't think we have a good handle on that yet. There's quite a quantity of product out there."

Welch said the recall was issued after FDA tests revealed the presence of the bacteria. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the contamination, she said.

Lysteria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. Others who ingest the bacteria may have symptoms including fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Welch said.