Around 6,000 meals sold at a popular retailer just received the FDA's highest risk level due to their connection with a wider produce problem.
Sandwich Ingredients Have Been Recalled in 19 States
Published on Jan. 02, 2025
Pre-made meal kits have exploded in popularity in recent years, thanks to their ability to help streamline your time in the kitchen when life is fast-paced. However, if you’ve been trying to keep your sandwich inspiration feeling fresh, a December recall of three sandwich kits highlights that it’s important to be mindful of product details even when your grocery haul was intended to keep food prep simple.
It started on December 6, when Baloian Farms of Arizona Co. announced that their cucumbers had been contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Shortly following, distributor Fresh Creative Foods voluntarily recalled its Beef & Lamb Gyro Sandwich Express Meal Kits and Gyro Kits (sold with and without trays), as the compromised cucumbers were used in their tzatziki sauce.
The ready-to-assemble kits additionally contained pita bread, gyro meat, feta cheese sauce, and feta cheese crumbles, and were sold at the wholesale retailer Sam’s Club in 19 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. (Note that the recalling firm may be noted as Oregon-based Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc.)
In total, 6,006 gyro kits were recalled and are identifiable with the following information:
- UPC Code: 0-13454-38313-1
- Use by date: Between December 24, 2024 and January 7, 2025
In a December 31 update, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigned the incident a Class I risk level, indicating a high probability that consuming the compromised meal kits could cause serious health consequences or death.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, salmonellosis is one of the most common forms of food poisoning: Over a million people become infected with Salmonella annually in the U.S., resulting in 26,500 hospitalizations and roughly 420 deaths. Most people who contract a Salmonella infection will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and some will be asymptomatic. The most common symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, which tend to develop within eight to 72 hours after exposure. Children under the age of five, seniors, and individuals with weakened immune systems are most likely to experience severe illness or fatality.
If you have purchased the meal kits, the FDA advises you do not consume any part of them. Discard them and visit any Sam’s Club for a full refund. If you have concerns about exposure, contact a licensed medical care provider.
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