Meatball Recall Issued for 325K Pounds of Meat Due to Listeria

Approximately 324,770 pounds of various frozen, ready-to-eat meatballs are being recalled due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, which is a bacteria that can lead to listeriosis food poisoning.

The meatball recall was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Friday, impacting meat and poultry products sold by Buono Vita, Inc. to facilities throughout the country.

According to the FSIS, it was discovered through microbiological testing that the meatballs may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which the federal food regulatory agency described as posing a “high” health risk.

Products recalled include the following:

• 10-lb. cases of Cupino “Fully Cooked Meatballs with Pork and Beef”
• 10-lb. cases of Mama Isabella “1/2 oz. size Beef and Pork Meatballs”
• 10-lb. cases of Mama Isabella “1 oz. size Beef and Pork Meatballs”
• 10-lb. cases of Mama Isabella “2 oz. size Beef and Pork Meatballs.
• 10-lb. cases of Buona Vita, Inc. “Saporo Italiano .75 oz Baked Meatballs with Beef and Pork”
• 30-lb. and 10-lb. cases of Buona Vita, Inc. “Buon Gusto 1/2 oz Baked Italian Style Meatballs Made with Chicken and Beef”

A complete list of affected products is available in the recall notice.

To date, neither FSIS, ODA, nor the company have not received any reports of food poisoning due to consumption of these products. However, anyone concerned about an illness they think may be connected to the products should contact a healthcare provider.

The FSIS reports the packages bear the establishment number “P-954” or “Est. 954” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Listeria Food Poisoning

The recalled meatballs pose a risk that individuals may develop Listeriosis, which typically results in fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with Listeriosis has “invasive” infection, in which the bacteria spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

Listeriosis has a long incubation period, with symptoms sometimes not showing up until two months after people consume tainted foods.

Last year, a Listerosis outbreak due to tainted cantaloupes from Jensen Farms resulted in a total of 123 people in 26 states falling ill, including more than 20 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other Listeria cases this year include more than 1,000 bags of salad produced by Dole Foods Co. recalled from stores in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The recall came after a sample of Romaine lettuce tested positive for listeria in North Carolina. The company said in a statement that no illnesses had been reported.