Florida Listeria contamination possible in cooked, frozen chicken

A federal agency issued a public health alert Monday for frozen, fully cooked diced chicken products distributed to consumers at local food banks in Florida as they may be contaminated with Listeria. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said chicken items were packed on Jan. 25 and 26 and March 23 and 24 of this year, according to a news release.

The following items are subject to the alert: 

• 4-lb. plastic bags containing “fully cooked chicken meat ¾ diced white” with code 13530, establishment number P-18237, and pack dates of 01/25/2021 and 01/26/2021.
• 4-lb. plastic bags containing “fully cooked chicken meat dark/white ¾ diced” with code 16598, establishment number P-45638, and pack dates 03/24/2021 and 03/23/2021.

Manufacturers distributed the chicken from Feb. 25 to March 1 and March 29 to April 8 at temporary locations. The chicken was initially distributed by Big Daddy Foods out of Houston and was then passed to local food banks through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program in individual boxes.