ConAgra recalls frozen chicken and rice meals

Posted 8m ago
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

Food giant ConAgra has issued a national recall of all Marie Callender's brand Cheesy Chicken and Rice frozen meals, regardless of when they were made, because they appear to be linked to an outbreak of salmonella Chester that has sickened 29 people in 14 states since April.

The company sells 8,4 million of this particular frozen dinner a year, says ConAgra's Teresa Paulsen. How many might currently be in supermarkets and customers freezers isn¹t known, she says. The company, ConAgra Foods Packaged Foods of Council Bluffs, Iowa, made the announcement Thursday night.

"There are 29 laboratory confirmed cases which means that hundreds of people have become ill," says William Keene, an epidemiologist with the state of Oregon who¹s been a part of the national investigation of the outbreak.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention had published estimates that for every lab-confirmed-salmonella case, there are roughly 38 people sick.

The outbreak may not be over. "Even if it's a single production problem, these cases can come on for a long time," says Keene. "There are people who buy them in bulk, a lot at a time, and then eat them over several months."

Consumers who have purchased these dinners should "thrown the product away and return the package to the retailer for a refund," Paulsen says.

The outbreak is being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far all of the illnesses reported occurred in April and May.

The recall affects only 13-ounce packages of "Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken & Rice White Meat Chicken and Broccoli over Rice Topped with Rich Cheddar Sauce."

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact ConAgra Foods at 1-866-484-9610.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever, usually within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. Chills, headache, nausea and vomiting associated with the illness can last for up to a week.

In infants, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems it can be life-threatening.

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