October 9, 2000

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, faced with a company that did not voluntarily recall a possibly contaminated product, has warned the public that approximately 7,640 pounds of barbecued chickens that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, produced by House of Raeford Farms, Inc., a Raeford, NC, firm.

The House of Raeford has failed to comply with FSIS' request for a voluntary recall of the product, so the agency is warning the public and distributors and has begun detaining the product in known locations. FSIS does not have authority to require a recall.

House of Raeford brand "Fully Cooked BARBECUED CHICKEN" packaged for retail sales is the product in question. The labels bear establishment number "P-239" inside the USDA seal of inspection, and a code of "18808" also appears on the packages.

The ready-to-eat, barbecued chickens were produced on Aug. 22, and distributed to North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Arizona. The chickens bear packaging date codes of 237, 241, 242, 258, and 263.

"I want the public to be aware of the situation presented by these chickens that could pose a health hazard," said Thomas J. Billy, FSIS administrator. Because of the potential for food-borne illness, USDA urges consumers who have purchased the suspect products not to eat them.

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illness associated with consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.