Federal authorities announced on Friday, Oct. 2, that Aspen Foods is currently recalling around 561,000 pounds of raw, frozen, breaded and stuffed chicken products due to potential contamination with salmonella.
Chicken products involved in the recall were produced between August 25, 2015 and September 27, 2015 with "best if used by" dates of August 23, 2016 to December 15, 2016, United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) informed. Time shared that it is actually an expansion of a chicken recall the meat-processing company first made in July.
To recall, Aspen Foods had recalled 1,978,680 pound of chicken products which were contaminated with salmonella at that time. FSIS sent a public health a;eart on Sept. 17 which said the agency conducted additional testing of the chicken products and found 12 positive results for salmonella after the July recall.
"FSIS is concerned about all frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken products produced by Aspen Foods between July 30, 2015 and September 17, 2015," the agency stated in the September statement. "The twelve positive samples collected during FSIS' intensified sampling efforts alerted FSIS to a systemic problem at the establishment. FSIS cannot have confidence in the safety of any products produced after July 30, 2015."
The agency even added that it was putting its own personal on the right track to keep back Aspen Foods products when they found them in market because the firm has repudiated to recall the products.
"There is no reason to detain our food products based on science or the law. We will not be recalling those products because our food safety experts strongly disagree with the USDA and have determined that those products are safe to consumer when prepared according to the USDA-approved cooking instructions listed clearly on all labels," Aspen Foods formerly retorted in a comment shared with Time on Sept 18. "Salmonella at low levels is permitted on raw poultry because it occurs there naturally and because cooking destroys it."
However, the FSIS announced that Aspen Foods has indeed extended its recall to take account of the products mentioned above. The brands involved in the expanded recall include Sysco, Spartan, Shaner's, Schwan's, Safeway Kitchens, Roundy's, Rosebud Farm, Rose, Oven Cravers, Market Day, Koch Foods, Kirkwood, Home Dining Selections, Family Favorites, Chestnut Farms, Centrella Signature, Buckley Farms, Antioch Farms and Acclaim.
