Aspen Foods Recalls 561,000 Pounds of Chicken Over Salmonella Fears

Amanda Chan

Koch Foods’ breaded chicken is one of the products affected by the recall. (Photo: Koch Foods)

More than 500,000 pounds of frozen, raw, stuffed, and breaded chicken that appear “ready to eat” from Aspen Foods are being recalled due to fears over Salmonella Enteritidis contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late last week (Oct. 2).

This recall is an extension of one that occurred earlier this summer. In July, Aspen Foods had to recall 1,978,680 pounds of chicken due to Salmonella contamination concerns. Five people were confirmed sickened due to the Aspen Foods products.

After the recall in July took place, the Food Safety and Inspection Service conducted more testing of Aspen Foods. The findings led the food company to recall all products that were associated with the original contaminated materials.

Related: Aspen Foods Pulls 2 Million Pounds After Reports of Illness

The products affected by the new recall have “best if used by” dates of Aug. 23, 2016 to Dec. 15, 2016. Affected brands include:

  • Acclaim

  • Antioch Farms

  • Buckley Farms

  • Centrella Signature

  • Chestnut Farms

  • Family Favorites

  • Home Dining Selections

  • Kirkwood

  • Koch Foods

  • Market Day

  • Oven Cravers

  • Rose

  • Rosebud Farm

  • Roundy’s

  • Safeway Kitchens

  • Schwan’s

  • Shaner’s

  • Spartan

  • Sysco

Salmonella is an especially great risk when it comes to chicken products that have been frozen, stuffed, and breaded, but that are still raw, food safety specialist and North Carolina State University professor Benjamin Chapman previously told Yahoo Health. The reason: Since they look cooked, people may not cook them fully. (In general, chicken products must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F.)

Related: 12 Germs That Cause Food Poisoning

Indeed, the Food Safety and Inspection Service recall announcement did note that the affected products contained a notification saying that the chicken products were raw. (Though, some of the people who got sick did report following these instructions and even using a cooking thermometer to check that the chicken was fully cooked.)

While Salmonella — which causes salmonellosis — is not life-threatening for most people, it can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, infants, and older adults. Onset of symptoms — which include diarrhea, cramps, and fever — usually occur 12 to 72 hours after a person has been exposed, and last for four to seven days.

If you’ve purchased one of the affected products, throw it away or return it at the place where you bought it. If you have any questions, you can call Aspen Foods at 844-277-6802.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article contained an image of a Koch Foods chicken product not affected by the recall. It has been updated to contain an image of a recalled item.

Read This Next: Why Recent Food Poisoning Outbreaks All Began in This One State