Cooked Chicken Breasts Join Tainted-Food Recalls

MONDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The drumroll for tainted food continued Monday with a nationwide recall of Oscar Mayer chicken breast strips for bacterial contamination.

The recall by Carolina Culinary Foods of West Columbia, S.C., involves 52,650 pounds of fully cooked chicken breasts produced on Jan. 9 and distributed nationwide to retailers.

The six-ounce packages are labeled "OSCAR MAYER/LOUIS RICH CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS WITH RIB MEAT, GRILLED, FULLY COOKED -- READY TO EAT." Each package has the number "P-19676" inside the USDA inspection mark on front and a use-by-date of "19 Apr 2007" on back.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a sample of the meat tested in Georgia was contaminated byListeria monocytogenes,which can cause listeriosis, a rare but serious infection. There have been no reported cases of illness linked to the recalled chicken, the agency said.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Kraft Consumer Response at (800) 871-7117.

The chicken breast recall is the fourth food recall in a week. Fresh cantaloupe and selected jars of organic baby food were recalled late Friday, and a major recall of peanut butter was initiated late Wednesday after 300 people in 39 states were sickened.

In the case of the cantaloupes and peanut butter, the culprit wassalmonella. The baby food was contaminated withClostridium botulinum,which can cause botulism. Both are life-threatening illnesses.

Dole Fresh Fruit Co. recalled roughly 6,104 cartons of imported cantaloupes from Costa Rica that were distributed to wholesalers in the eastern United States and Quebec between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8, theAssociated Pressreported. There were no reports of illness.

And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers late Friday not to use certain jars of Earth's Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast baby food because they may be contaminated withClostridium botulinum,, a life-threatening illness.

The manufacturer, Hain Celestial Group of Melville, N.Y., initiated a recall on Feb. 9 of 4,072 cases of individual jars and 38,298 variety packs, the FDA said in a prepared statement. Production and distribution of the baby food has been suspended while the FDA and the company work to determine the source of the problem.

The food, part of the firm's "2nd Vegetables, Fruits and Blends" line intended for babies 6 months and older, was distributed through retail stores and also sold through the Earth's Best Website, the FDA said

The agency urged consumers to throw away any jars they might have.