An infant in California has died, and 10 others have fallen ill due to a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from Yu Shang Food, Inc., federal health officials confirmed on Friday.
The outbreak, tied to items like chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork hock, has led to the recall of over 72,000 pounds of products by Yu Shang Food, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Cases have been reported across four states, with nine hospitalizations so far. A pregnant California woman sickened by the outbreak tragically lost her twins, though only one infant was officially included in the case count.
Despite the recall initiated on November 9, some contaminated products may still be in households. The CDC advises consumers to:
Listeria poisoning occurs from consuming foods contaminated with the bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild, such as:
To severe:
High-risk groups include:
Symptoms may appear quickly or take up to three months after exposure.
This outbreak follows a similar listeria incident earlier this year involving Boar’s Head deli meats, which killed 10 people and sickened dozens.
Food safety experts stress the importance of proper handling and vigilance to prevent such tragedies in the future.