Possible Listeria contamination in ham salad recalled in Washington

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert Sunday for two ham salad products possibly contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, according to a department news release.

The two products include the 12 ounce plastic tubs of Reser’s Fine Foods Ham Salad with a sell -by date of Sept. 1 and the 5 -pound plastic tubs of Molly’s Kitchen Ham Salad with a sell -by date of Aug. 31.

The possible contamination was discovered after Reser’s Fine Foods in Topeka, Kansas, realized it had used breadcrumbs in its ham salad that were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration for listeria monocytogenes.

According to the news release, no reports of people getting sick from eating the ham salad have been documented. The USDA advises those with concerns to contact a health provider.

Eating products contaminated with Listeria can lead to listeriosis, an infection that can cause flu-like symptoms, loss of balance, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. The symptoms are worse for pregnant women; the disease can infect the baby and cause stillbirths and miscarriages.

People with weakened immune systems, older people and pregnant women are considered high risk and are recommended to visit a doctor if flu-like symptoms occur within two weeks of eating the ham salad.

The USDA advises consumers and retailers who may own the ham salad to throw it out.

Anyone with questions can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) 674-6854, or report a complaint online at foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF.