Infant dies, 10 others infected with meat-related Listeria outbreak

An infant has died and at least 10 others have been infected in a multi-state outbreak of listeria linked to ready-to-eat meat.

On Friday, November 22 at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an update with the latest data related to the outbreak, days after Yu Shang Food recalled multiple ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from the market.

According to the organization, the deceased infant was a twin and listeria was detected in a sample taken from them and their mother. The baby’s twin also died, but no listeria was detected in their sample. (Another infant was also reported to have become ill but recovered, the CDC said.)

Those who got sick included one person in New York, another in New Jersey, two people living in Illinois and seven people in California, according to the CDC, which said “the true number is likely higher than the reported number.”

“This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for listeria,“CDC wrote. “Additionally, recent illnesses may not yet be reported because it typically takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine whether a person is in an outbreak.”

The CDC details that seven people said they shopped at markets where Shang Food products were sold, and two people said they specifically ate Yu Shang Food chicken.

On October 21, “routine testing” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service found the products were contaminated. Then, in response to Listeria monocytogenes infections, a recall of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products was issued on November 9, followed by an extended recall on November 21.

According to the CDC, the median age of the 11 infected people whose samples were collected from October 24, 2021, to July 31, 2024, was 64, and all of them identified as having Asian heritage.

Laboratory data uncovered by the CDC suggests that those involved in the outbreak “became sick from the same food” after a method called “whole genome sequencing” found that samples of infected people were “closely related genetically.”

The specific products being recalled include all products with “Yu Shang” on the label and establishment numbers “P46684” and “EST. M46684” and all products manufactured before October 28.

According to Food Safety and Inspection Servicethis includes a total of over 20 products such as ‘Braised Pork Belly in Brown Sauce’, ‘Seasoned Pork with Snout’ and ‘Seasoned Chicken Leg’.

“Eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns,” according to the USDA. “People outside these risk groups are less likely to be affected.”

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According to the USDA, symptoms of listeriosis can include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, disorientation, loss of balance and “seizures sometimes preceded by diarrhea,” and the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature birth and other effects in pregnant women.

Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. People who purchased recalled products are asked to throw them away or return them to the store.