S.C. Company Recalls Chicken Strips; Tests Show Packages May Be Contaminated

ATLANTA (AP) _ Carolina Culinary Food is recalling packages of Oscar Mayer ready-to-eat chicken breast strips with rib meat because they may be contaminated, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food

Sunday, February 18th 2007, 3:45 pm

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ Carolina Culinary Food is recalling packages of Oscar Mayer ready-to-eat chicken breast strips with rib meat because they may be contaminated, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Sunday.

Officials said Georgia Department of Agriculture food scientists found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample. That type of contamination can cause listeriosis, which is uncommon but potentially fatal.

No illnesses have been reported, officials said.

The nationwide recall affects all six-ounce packages of ``Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich chicken breast strips with rib meat, grilled, fully cooked, ready to eat'' that bear the establishment number ``P-19676'' inside the USDA mark of inspection on the front of the package. On the back of each package is a ``Use by'' date of ``19 Apr 2007.''

Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.