USDA Warns To Check Your Freezers For Turkey Products Over Illness Risk

Though a recall hasn't been made due to the age of the meat, the USDA is warning the public to check their freezers for certain raw ground turkey products over the potential risk of salmonella. More than 211,000lbs of ground turkey products were impacted by this potential issue, though the good news is that the products are no longer available to purchase.

The new advisory comes from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which says the raw ground turkey products covered by the warning were produced by a Pennsylvania company called Plainville Brands LLC. The FSIS says there are 'concerns' that this raw turkey may have caused some salmonella illnesses.

The raw turkey products were made from December 18 – 29, 2020, which means they're no longer available for sale at your local grocery store. For this reason, the USDA says there hasn't been a recall, but that it has issued this warning because it is concerned some people may still have some of this turkey in their freezers.

The turkey products covered by this advisory were sold with various brand names, including Wegman, Plainville Farms Ground White Turkey, and Nature's Promise Free; package sizes were 1lb and 3lbs. You can find the full list of sell-by dates, as well as packaging details and more, on the USDA's website.

Multiple government agencies are looking into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella Hadar illnesses that appeared from late December 2020 to March 4, 2021. One patient had a package of turkey from Plainville Brands that was still intact and unopened, giving investigators the chance to test it. The product returned positive for salmonella Hadar.

The USDA notes that not all of the illnesses have been traced back to the company and that it is possible other products from different companies could be involved. The investigation into the outbreak is still underway.