Costco shoppers issued urgent warning over food poisoning risk from meat product

20 January 2024 , 22:24

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A shopper at a Costco Wholesale store in Colchester, Vermont (Image: Getty Images)

Costco shoppers in the US have been issued an urgent warning due to a salmonella outbreak linked to its charcuterie meats.

Federal health officials have recalled Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran Beretta and Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler sold at Walmart's Sam's Club, after 47 cases of salmonella were reported in just two weeks. Investigations are ongoing to see if other meats are affected.

An initial warning was issued on January 5 advising people not to eat one lot of Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler. On Thursday, the CDC reported an additional 23 cases of salmonella from eight more states, bringing the total to 47 cases across 22 states. Ohio has the most reported infections, with 10 people hospitalised due to complications.

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The charcuterie meats are sold at Costco (VCG via Getty Images)

Salmonella infection is caused by bacteria found in many birds and animals. Symptoms can appear between six hours and three days after exposure and include loose stools, stomach pain, fever, headache, nausea and general tiredness. The effects of the illness can last between three to seven days, and in some cases, complications like blood poisoning, abscesses and joint pains might occur.

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Although person-to-person transmission of salmonella is possible, especially if one is sick, it's more commonly transferred from eating contaminated food or drink. So, make sure your hands are clean when you're doing things like cooking, changing nappies, using the loo, eating and playing with animals.

Just recently, Quaker decided to withdraw 38 types of granola bars and Harvest Crunch cereals due to salmonella worries.

The Charcuterie meats have been recalled (cdc)

This action comes after Quaker's parent company in the US initiated a recall last Thursday. This was actually an expansion of an earlier recall from December 15 last year, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. "This action is being taken in Canada out of an abundance of caution and commitment to the wellbeing of our Canadian consumers," said Quaker Canada in a statement.

They also said that the items pulled off shelves were distributed throughout Canada. They advised Canadians to go through their cupboards and check their website to find out which products are involved.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Lydia Stephens