991117 Marathon Announces National Recall of FrankfurtersNovember 1, 1999East Rutherford, NJ - Marathon Enterprises Inc. announced that it is initiating a voluntary recall of all of its skinless all-beef frankfurters produced at one of its three plants: establishment 8854 in the Bronx, NY. The hot dogs are sold under the brand names Sabrett and Western Beef, and bear "EST. 8854" on the product label. Marathon is coordinating its recall with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "Consumers who purchased the products being recalled may return them to retail establishments for a refund," said Boyd Adelman, Executive Vice President of Marathon. On October 13, Marathon had recalled one day's production of frankfurters in response to a routine test by the New York Department of Agriculture that returned a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause listeriosis. As a result of this test, the company voluntarily closed plant 8854 on October 14 to evaluate its meat processing operations and stopped shipping products from that plant on that date. The current recall is in response to subsequent testing by the company that showed other positive Listeria monocytogenes test results for products produced at EST. 8854. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis, but in some cases it can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, and nausea. In those with weak immune systems, the effects can be more serious. "Although we have no evidence of illness as a result of consumption of these products, we decided to err on the side of caution and conduct a national recall," said Adelman. "We will work closely with the USDA and other government agencies to ensure the health and safety of the public."
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