On December 14, Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. (doing business as Margherita Meats Inc.) announced a recall for pepperoni products that may be contaminated with a bacteria that can cause food poisoning illnesses.
The recall involves around 10,990 pounds of ready-to-eat unsliced pepperoni that may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), a toxin-producing bacteria that causes diarrhea and vomiting.
The pepperoni was sold nationwide in 9-oz. plastic shrink-wrapped packages, labeled as “Margherita PEPPERONI” with lot code P1931C and a “use by date” of 12-14-21 on the label.
No illnesses were reported, but the recall warns: “Those with compromised immune systems are at risk for more severe illness. Vigorous rehydration and other supportive care including antibiotics are the usual treatment.”
The problem was discovered when the Department of Defense notified the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) that they found B. cereus during routine product testing.
For more information, consumers can call the Margherita Consumer Affairs Hotline at (844) 342-2596.
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