A nationwide ready-to-eat meat and poultry listeria recall impacting popular products and grocery stores across the country has now expanded to include food served in schools, including some in Illinois, an update from the Food Service Inspection Service said Thursday.
"FSIS is working diligently to identify all recalled products that were distributed to consumers, including those purchased by schools," the update said. The updated added that the products were not part of the USDA's National School Lunch and Breakfast Program and noted that "schools also purchase food directly from other vendors."
The update comes as the list of recalled products continued to balloon in recent days, going from approximately 75 items to more than 300, totaling nearly 12 million pounds. The items range from deli sandwiches from Trader Joe's, to frozen meals at Costco, to deli salads across Walmart, Aldi, Jewel-Osco and more.
According to the FSIS, the recall, originally announced Oct. 9, was initiated after officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture detected listeria in samples of poultry during routine testing.
There are no confirmed reports of illness linked to the recall, officials said.
What schools are impacted?
The FSIS reported the food was shipped to more than 100 schools across at least 17 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania.
In Illinois, two schools were listed. One of which was in the Chicago area
- Fox Valley Family YMCA, 3875 Eldamain Rd., Plano
- Kiddie Scholars, 1031 Kostner Ave, Matteson
Kiddie Scholars did not provide a comment to NBC Chicago.
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Local
A full list of schools where the products were shipped to can be found here.
Latest list of brands and labels recalled
Products, which were shipped to "restaurants and food service vendors nationwide," have a best-by date of June 19, 2025 to Oct. 8, 2025, the FSIS said. Officials said they are concerned that the foods may still be available for use or stored in refrigerators or freezers. The products should be thrown away, they added.
The recall, initially announced Oct. 9 by the FSIS, originally included approximately 75 ready-to-eat items meat and chicken products produced at BrucePac's Oklahoma-based plant. The most recent update from officials incudes over 300 popular ready-to-eat items found in the deli and freezer section of large grocery stores including Target, Walmart and more.
Impacted brands and labels include pre-packaged fresh meals sold under the labels FreshExpress, Maketside, Little Salad Bar, ReadyMeals, Amazon Kitchen, Taylor Farms, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Home Chef, RaceTrac, Raley's, Red's, Udi's, Good & Gather, Signature Select, Dole and more.
It also includes at least 12 products from Trader Joe's, like Green Goddess Salad, Wine Country White Chicken Salad, Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Curried White Chicken Deli Salad and more.
A number of frozen meals were also recalled, from popular brands including Jenny Craig, Atkins, Boston Market, Michelina's, Rao's and more.
A full list of updated product items can be found here.
Listeria symptoms
The recall comes as a 10th death was recently reported from a massive Boars Head deli meat listeria recall, which has seen at least 59 people in 19 states sickened and shuttered a Boars Head processing plant in Virginia.
Listeria is an infection caused by bacteria. When listeria infects the intestines, it causes gastrointestinal symptoms similar to other foodborne illnesses, such as diarrhea and vomiting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Invasive listeria is especially concerning for people who are pregnant, newborn babies, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems, TODAY.com reported. In pregnant people, invasive listeria can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth. The illness can also cause a life-threatening infection in the newborn.
The signs of a invasive listeria infection in pregnant people include fever and flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches, according to the CDC.
Other people might also experience:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
