Listeria contamination alert: Starbucks customers in Georgia, Florida and Alabama need to be advised that chicken wraps and other chicken products produced by Flying Food Group, LLC, located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and sold during July 2011 could have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria known to cause food poisoning. On July 26, 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that the initial recall (announced July 19, 2011) involving 204 pounds of chicken wraps and other ready-to-eat chicken products was being significantly expanded to include an additional 6,901 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken, turkey, beef and pork products produced by Fly Foods Group between July 13 and July 24, 2011, and distributed in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. A list of the specific products being recalled can be found in the FSIS press release.
Any Florida, Alabama or Georgia customer of Starbucks who has consumed one of the recalled products is at risk for Listeria food poisoning. Listeria infection can result in Listeriosis, a foodborne illness with potentially serious and life threatening health consequences. Symptoms of Listeria food poisoning (i.e., muscle aches, fever, nausea, diarrhea, stiff neck, loss of balance) may not appear for several days or several weeks because Listeria pathogens have a relatively long incubation period (3-70 days). Pregnant women are most at risk because they are 20 times more likely to suffer Listeriosis than other healthy adults. Any customer who suspects that they are suffering Listeria food poisoning should seek medical care as soon as possible.
Daniel Ragland is a food poisoning attorney and available to serve consumers throughout the Southeast including Georgia, Florida and Alabama. He has expertise in the fields of foodborne illness and food safety. Mr. Ragland is a founding partner of the law firm Ragland Law Firm, LLP located in Atlanta, Georgia. Any person with concerns about these recalled contaminated food products may contact Mr. Ragland by email or phone (770) 407-7300.