000235 Gold Kist Temporarily Halts Some DistributionFebruary 19, 2000Atlanta, GA - Gold Kist Inc, the nation's second largest poultry processor, said it is voluntarily halting distribution of about 114,000 pounds of chicken nuggets and patties because of the possible presence of Listeria bacteria. Gold Kist said it had notified warehouses in six states to stop distribution after laboratory results indicated that one of 96 product samples tested showed possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is eliminated in the normal cooking process. Gold Kist said no other pathogenic bacteria were found in any of the samples. The possibly contaminated products were processed on January 25 and shipped to warehouses in Ohio, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania for use in the federal school lunch programme. Gold Kist said it has asked the warehouses to hold the products until further test results were available. Earlier this month, a newspaper report alleged that schoolchildren in Texas and 30 other states were being fed chicken nuggets made in part from diseased poultry at Gold Kist plants in Alabama. Gold Kist responded to the allegations, saying its products were “safe and wholesome.”
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