Recall: Trader Joe's Butter Chicken

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OTTAWA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. and Canadian officials say 4,865 pounds of frozen butter chicken and rice bound for Trader Joe's stores were recalled for possible Listeria contamination.

The U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service is alerting the public of a recall being conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Aliya's Foods Ltd., which has its headquarters in the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park, Alberta, for frozen butter chicken and rice products imported from Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is overseeing the recall in Canada. The Food Safety and Inspection Service will verify U.S. companies sent shipments of the recalled products have been notified and have removed them from sale.

The recall is for 12.5-ounce boxes of Trader Joe's Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice with product code 2012-10-31 and lot code 30512.

The product being recalled is considered ready-to-eat and subject to pathogen testing, since the Food Safety and Inspection Service has zero-tolerance for pathogens in ready-to-eat foods at time of production, even if that food requires heating for proper serving.

Nineteen cartons of product were on hold at the distribution center, 240 cartons have been distributed to Trader Joe's retail stores. Trader Joe's has instructed the stores to pull the recalled items off the shelf.

U.S. government officials said they were concerned consumers might have received or purchased the product but have not yet been notified about the recall.

Consumers with questions should contact Trader Joe's at 1-626-599-3817.

The FDA said the recalled products may have gone to 18 stores in New York, 17 in Massachusetts, 13 in Virginia, 11 in New Jersey, nine in Pennsylvania, eight in Maryland and North Carolina, six in Connecticut, three in Florida, two each in New Hampshire and South Carolina, one each in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine and Rhode Island.

The department said the list may not include all retail locations that have received the product, or may include ones that did not actually receive the product.