Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

SaveMart Chicken Street Taco Kit recall: Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

SaveMart Meat & poultry — recalled meat & poultrySaveMart Meat & poultry — recalled meat & poultry (photo 2)
2 photos published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Listeria contamination

Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

What the notice says: Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Why it matters: Listeria monocytogenes is unusual among foodborne bacteria because it keeps growing at refrigerator temperature. A contaminated pack does not become safer for sitting in the cold, and it will look, smell and taste completely normal.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

Listeriosis is mild or silent in most healthy adults, but it is serious for pregnant people, newborns, adults over 65 and anyone whose immune system is suppressed. The CDC describes intestinal illness as diarrhoea and vomiting, and invasive illness as fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. In pregnancy it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infection in the newborn even when the parent feels only mildly unwell. Symptoms can start within a day or not appear for weeks, so tell any doctor you see that you ate a recalled product and give them the date.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
February 9, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
SaveMart
Product type
Meat & poultry
Distribution
California, Nevada
Reports of harm
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product.

Products covered by this recall

Chicken Street Taco Kit

What the company announced

MODESTO, Calif. – February 9, 2024 – The Save Mart Companies has recalled all lot and date codes of Chicken Street Taco Kits sold in Save Mart, Lucky, and Lucky California store service delis, as they include a cup of crema sauce containing cotija cheese produced and recalled by Rizo-Lopez Foods. These kits have been recalled due to concerns the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes . Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Fresh Creative Foods, a division of Reser’s Fine Foods, sold these kits to The Save Mart Companies and the kits were assembled and packaged by in-store delis at Save Mart, Lucky, and Lucky California stores.

The affected Chicken Street Taco Kits were sold at Save Mart, Lucky, and Lucky California stores in California and Nevada.

The Chicken Street Taco Kits are packaged in a plastic container with an approximate net weight of 17 ounces. The product label includes a UPC beginning with "278230" followed by other digits. (A photo and representative label are provided at the end of this press release.)

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Consumers who have purchased this product should discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact The Save Mart Companies Customer Contact Center at (800) 692-5710, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., weekends and holidays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or they can send an email to [email protected] .

About The Save Mart Companies

The Save Mart Companies, a Kingswood Capital Management, LP portfolio company and a California- based grocer, operates 194 Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx stores in California and Western Nevada. In addition to its retail operation, the Company also operates SMART Refrigerated Transport and is a partner in Super Store Industries (“SSI”), which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop, and the Sunnyside Farms dairy processing plant in Turlock. Proud to be California’s largest regional, full-service grocery chain throughout the region, the Company and its 13,000 Associates take extra care to help provide customers with the freshest foods for their families at affordable prices. For more information on the company, please visit: www.TheSaveMartCompanies.com .

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FDA Outbreak Investigation

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

Check your product

The notice names 2 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

Establishment number

Inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label.

  • 278230

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 17 ounces

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Listeria

SaveMart — Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

  1. Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.
  2. If anyone in the household is pregnant, over 65 or immunocompromised, call a clinician for advice even if nobody feels ill. That conversation is quick and it is the whole point of a Listeria recall.
  3. Photograph the label, the lot code and the date mark before the pack leaves the house — that picture is what a refund claim runs on.
  4. Throw it out in a sealed bag, or return it to the store. Either is accepted; what matters is that nobody else eats it.

How to get your money back

Food recalls carry a full refund, and in the United States you usually do not need the receipt or the packaging.

  • Take the product, or your photo of the label, to the customer service desk of the store where you bought it. Nearly every national grocer refunds recalled food on the spot.
  • Bought it online? Open the order in your account and use the refund option; marketplace sellers are required to honour a federal recall.
  • If the store refuses, contact the recalling company using the details on this page. The firm, not the shop, carries the cost of a recall.
  • If you have a loyalty card, the retailer can look the purchase up in your history — Kroger, Costco and Walmart all do this routinely.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who have purchased this product should discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Company contact: The Save Mart Companies — Consumers: The Save Mart Companies Customer Contact Center, 800-692-5710, [email protected] — Media: Jennifer Shelton, [email protected]

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was SaveMart meat & poultry recalled?

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: establishment number 278230. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

What should I do with it right now?

Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers who have purchased this product should discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists California, Nevada.

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