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Gourmet Bouquet Recalls Fresh and Frozen Meat Products

Second recall in recent months for the New York company

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 4, 2008

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A New York food producer is recalling about 286,000 pounds of fresh and frozen beef, pork and poultry products that may be contaminated with listeria, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

Gourmet Boutique, of Jamaica, Queens, bills itself as “America’s leading manufacturer of high-quality, ready-to-eat prepared foods.”

The nationwide recall includes a variety of sizes, from nine-ounce packages of Gourmet Boutique Wrapanini Meatball Parmigiana to seven-pound containers of Gourmet Boutique Fruit and Nut Honey Chicken Salad Kit, USDA said. The meats being recalled are chicken, turkey, beef and pork.

The meals may be contaminated with bacteria that may cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal illness whose symptoms may include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.

The fresh meat and poultry salad products were produced from April 19 to 24, while the frozen foodstuffs were produced from October 2007 to April 23, the agency said.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a Class I recall, which affects products sent to supermarkets and food stores nationwide. A Class I alert, which carries the highest priority, is issued when there is a “reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death,” the USDA's statement said.

No illnesses had been reported.

Listeria can cause listeriosis, a rare disease that can lead to serious and sometimes fatal infections in infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. The disease can also cause miscarriages.

In March, the company recalled nearly 7,000 pounds of products sent to stores in 10 states because of possible listeria contamination.

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