Tyson Foods listeria outbreak linked to one death, prompts massive frozen-chicken recall

Tyson Foods is recalling approximately 8.5 million pounds of frozen, cooked chicken products for possible listeria infection, USA Today reports. The affected products—including chicken strips, pizza, and pulled chicken breasts—were produced at one plant located in Dexter, Missouri, between December 26 and April 13, according to Tyson. The products were shipped nationwide to retailers and institutions, including hospitals, schools, and nursing facilities. The announcement of the outbreak from the poultry giant and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service came Saturday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert and said the products could be linked to a death and three illnesses. The recall also includes Tyson-branded products sold at Walmart, Publix, and Wegmans, and those sold as private label products for restaurants, including Jet’s Pizza, Casey’s General Store, Marco’s Pizza, and Little Caesars. This is nothing to sneeze at; according to Tyson, it produces about 20 percent of the beef, pork, and chicken in the United States.