Washington - A Georgia company is recalling 2 million pounds of meat and poultry from 34 states after salmonella was discovered at one of its processing plants, a U.S. Agriculture Department spokeswoman said.
All of the meat was sold to institutions, including prisons and schools, and none was sold in grocery stores, the department said. No illnesses have been reported.
Zartic, Inc., of Rome, GA, expanded a previously announced recall after two additional samples tested positive for salmonella earlier this month. The company decided to recall all beef, pork and poultry products that were processed at its Cedartown, Ga., plant, the spokeswoman said.
The company had recalled 22,880 pounds of beef steak in late September after traces of salmonella were found in vending machine sandwiches made with the meat.
Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause severe cramps and diarrhea, has been linked to as many as 3.8 million illnesses annually in the United States. Salmonella was the second most common bacteria found in food poisoning cases last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The U.S. Agriculture Department said the meat was distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
Return to Home Page