Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Sprouts Farmers Market Chicken Street Taco Kit recall: Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Sprouts Farmers Market Meat & poultry — recalled meat & poultrySprouts Farmers Market 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

This is a Listeria recall, so the usual kitchen tests do not apply — the bacteria grow in a cold fridge and leave no smell, no cloudiness and no off taste.

What the notice says: Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that 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 7, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Sprouts Farmers Market
Product type
Meat & poultry
Distribution
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee
Sold at
Sprouts
UPC codes
205916414990
Reports of harm
No illnesses have been reported to date.

Products covered by this recall

Chicken Street Taco Kit

What the company announced

Clarification: the chicken street taco meal kits contain crema cups manufactured with Rizo-Lopez Foods recalled cheese and prepared and sold in Sprouts retail stores in AL, FL, GA, NC, and TN. FDA is monitoring the recall.

Rizo-López Foods and Fresh Creations Foods, along with the FDA, have issued a recall of all Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit Units due to the potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes . The select meals and kits include crema cup which contain a recalled cheese ingredient. Product was sold in Sprouts stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

The affected product lots of the following product:

Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit (UPC 205916414990; Best by Date 11/29/2023-3/4/2024)

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multi-year, multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo-López Foods.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that 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. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Customers who have purchased these items are urged not to consume these products and to dispose of them or return the items to their local store for a full refund. The FDA recommends in these cases that anyone who purchased or received any recalled products to use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Listeria monocytogenes can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.

Customers who have purchased affected product are urged to discard the meal kit or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Customers with questions may contact Sprouts Customer Relations at [email protected] .

Media Contact: [email protected]

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.

UPC / barcode

Read the twelve digits under the barcode on the package.

  • 205916414990

Best-by / use-by date

Printed beside the lot code, not on the price sticker.

  • 11/29/2023-3/4/2024

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

Sprouts Farmers Market — This is a Listeria recall, so the usual kitchen tests do not apply — the bacteria grow in a cold fridge and leave no smell, no cloudiness and no off taste.

  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. Throw it out in a sealed bag, or return it to the store. Either is accepted; what matters is that nobody else eats it.
  3. Wash and then sanitise anything the food touched: the fridge shelf and drawer, chopping boards, knives, counters and your hands. Listeria colonises cold surfaces and can survive there after the food is gone.
  4. 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.

Getting a refund without the pack

The commonest reason people skip the refund is that they have already thrown the item away. That rarely matters.

  • A photo of the label and lot code is accepted by most grocers, and so is a card statement line showing the purchase.
  • Store credit is often offered first. You can ask for the original payment method instead, and it is normally granted.
  • No photo either? Ask anyway. Grocery chains settle recall refunds at the service desk because disputing them costs more than paying them.
  • For a multi-pack or a case, ask for the full purchase price rather than a per-unit figure — the recall covers what you paid.

Remedy named in the notice: Customers who have purchased these items are urged not to consume these products and to dispose of them or return the items to their local store for a full refund.

Company contact: Sprouts Farmers Market — Consumers: Sprouts Customer Relations, [email protected] — Media: [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 Sprouts Farmers Market meat & poultry recalled?

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that 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: UPC 205916414990; best-by date 11/29/2023-3/4/2024. 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: Customers who have purchased these items are urged not to consume these products and to dispose of them or return the items to their local store for a full refund.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee.

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