Infant dies after listeria outbreak linked to Spartanburg business, officials say

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that a Spartanburg business has recalled several meat and poultry products due to a listeria contamination.

Originally, Yu Shang Food, Inc., recalled 4,589 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products after routine FSIS testing showed the products were positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

On Nov. 21, Yu Shang Food also recalled an additional 67,651 lbs. of meat and poultry, raising the total recalled to 72,240 lbs.

The FSIS said the products subject to recall have the establishment number “P-46684″ OR “EST. M46684″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. According to FSIS, these items were shipped to retail locations nationwide and were available for purchase online.

According to FSIS, consuming food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis–a serious infection that mainly affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and their newborns.

The CDC reported 11 people across 4 states were sick–9 of them hospitalized–with one of the sick people being a mother pregnant with twins.

Both of the twins died, but the CDC said samples collected showed only the mother and one twin had listeria in them. No listeria was found in the second twin.

The states where the listeria was reported were California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey.

“This outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely higher than the number reported,” the CDC said. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.”

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Headaches
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance, convulsions
• Diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms

The FSIS says customers should make sure none of the products on this list should throw them away.

You can also see the food labels here.

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