White Castle recalls frozen burgers over listeria fears
White Castle is recalling some of its frozen burgers shipped to 22 states due to possible listeria contamination after finding the bacteria in one of its manufacturing plants.
The recall by the fast-food chain involves specific lots of frozen six-pack cheeseburgers, hamburgers and jalapeno cheeseburgers, as well as frozen 16-pack hamburgers and cheeseburgers, according to a notice posted Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The products being recalled all have best-by dates ranging from August 4, 2020, to August 17, 2020, the company said.
"During a production run, our food safety tests revealed a problem. We moved quickly to get rid of the tested product and to initiate a voluntary recall of select production runs that preceded the problem. Of the products we have recalled, none has tested positive for listeria," White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson stated in an email Tuesday.
The recall involved about 72,000 packages – or 0.1% – of the company's annual production, and 10% or less of the recalled packages actually made it to retail shelves, according to Richardson.
The recalled products were shipped to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Listeria monocytogenesis can cause serious, sometimes fatal, infections in the young, the frail or the elderly, as well as those with weakened immune systems. While healthy people may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, the infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, the notice stated.
Last week, ready-to-eat sushi, salads and spring rolls made by Fuji Food Products and sold by food stores in 31 states were recalled because of listeria concerns.
White Castle operates more than 375 restaurants in 13 states and sells its products in retail stores nationwide, according to its website. The 98-year-old company's frozen fare is sold at 7-Eleven, Aldi, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Kroger, Kroger Fresh Fare, Kroger Marketplace, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Save-A-Lot and Walmart.
Consumers who purchased any of the recalled products should throw them out or return them to the store where they were purchased for an exchange or refund. Customers can also call White Castle at (800) 843-2728.
White Castle frozen sandwiches are sold in rectangular cardboard packages, with the code date located on a side panel.
See the complete list of recalled products here.