Oscar Mayer chicken breast strips recalled

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. food company is recalling about 52,650 pounds of cooked chicken breast strips that might be contaminated with a bacterium.

The United States Department of Agriculture said the Carolina Culinary Foods Co. of West Columbia, S.C., firm, is voluntarily recalling the strips produced Jan. 9 for nationwide retail distribution because they might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The 6-ounce packages, manufactured for Oscar Mayer Foods, were labeled "OSCAR MAYER/LOUIS RICH CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS WITH RIB MEAT, GRILLED, FULLY COOKED - READY TO EAT."

The front of each package bears the establishment number "P-19676" inside the USDA mark of inspection. On the back of each package appears a "Use by" date of "19 Apr 2007." The code "19 APR 2007" appears on each case.

The problem was discovered through microbiological testing completed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in people with weakened immune systems.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Kraft Consumer Response at 800-871-7117.