Ready-to-eat breakfast kits sold by Cheesewich recalled over listeria fears after infections linked to hard-boiled eggs killed one in the US
- Almark has expanded its recall of products to its Cheesewich Bacon N Egg products
- A listeria outbreak that has sickened seven and killed one in the US has been traced to the company’s hard-boiled eggs
- Listeria infections can cause serious illness and kill unborn babies if their mothers eat contaminated foods
- Almark has now expanded its recall to dozens of hard-boiled egg products as well as vegetable ramen and breakfast kits that contain its eggs
Ready-to-eat breakfasts from Cheesewich are the latest food recalled after US health authorities discovered a listeria outbreak linked to hard-boiled eggs.
Regulators discovered evidence last month that Almark’s hard-boiled eggs may be to blame for several illnesses and one death from listeria.
Further investigations suggested that the same strain of the bacteria may be present in other Almark products on the market and, last week, the company expanded its recall to include its vegetable ramen.
On Thursday, its voluntary recall was expanded once more to include the ‘Ready to Each Bacon N Egg’ sandwiches with ‘use by’ dates for December 27, January 3, 23, and 30 and February 5, 6, 14 and 28.
Cheesewich ready-to-eat Bacon N Eggs breakfast kits, made by Almark, were recalled Thursday amid an outbreak of listeria infectiosn linked to the company’s hard-boiled eggs
The US Department of Agriculture noted that no illnesses or deaths have been linked to the products reviewed its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) office.
However one death is suspected to be related to the company’s broader product line of hard-boiled eggs.
For most, contracting an infection of Listeria monocytogenes is not life-threatening for most, causing a relatively short and mild gastrointestinal illness.
But for people with weakened immune systems, older people and especially pregnant women, the infection can be a serious issue.
Listeria infections typically cause flu-like symptoms: headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches.
In the rare event that it spreads to the nervous system, it may trigger more severe headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizure-like convulsions.
Pregnant women are estimated to be 10 times more prone to listeria infections – and pregnant Hispanic women are some 24-times more vulnerable.
They themselves don’t usually develop particularly dramatic symptoms, but they can pass the infection on to their developing fetuses.
The infection can cause women to go into labor early, miscarry or have a stillborn baby.
Even if they deliver a live baby, the infection can still make the newborn very ill, or even kill it.
For this reason, US health officials and food manufacturers take any potential listeria outbreaks very seriously.
So far, the hard-boiled egg outbreak has been blamed for seven illnesses, four hospitalizations and one death across five US states.
The Almark recall applies to dozens of small packaged hard-boiled egg products, those sold in bulk in pails, as well as, now, both the veggie ramen product and Cheesewich sandwiches, which contain individually packaged eggs and bacon.