Serenade Foods located in Milford, IN. is recalling approximately thirty tons of frozen, raw, breaded stuffed chicken products due to potential contamination with Salmonella Enteritidis. The USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a health alert on June 2nd followed by the recall on Tuesday, August 10th. Implicated product was produced between February 24th and February 25th 2021, by establishment P-2375.
The recall arises from field investigations carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks of SE infection involved over 30 cases in eight states with dates of onset ranging from late February through late June. Investigators confirmed the presence of a specific strain of SE in both intact packages of raw frozen breaded chicken and a patient, presumably applying whole genome sequencing.
This outbreak is yet another example of consumers inadequately cooking raw breaded chicken products that might be contaminated with pathogens including Salmonella, Campylobacter or E. coli. Despite clear directions on labels warning against microwave heating and specifying cooking in ovens so that the internal temperature of 165F is attained, inexperienced cooks are creating a risk of foodborne infection. The question arises as to why any raw breaded product should be marketed irrespective of label directions and cautions.