WASHINGTON – La Guadalupana Wholesale, Inc., a Chicago, Ill., establishment, is recalling approximately 8,856 pounds of chicken tamales because they were not produced under a fully implemented Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan; a Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) program; and a hazard analysis the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
The products subject to recall include: [Labels (PDF Only)]
- 2 packs of 6 tamales in each vacuum-packed bag of “LA GUADALUPANA CHICKEN TAMALES”
The products bear the establishment number “P-21094” inside the USDA mark of inspection with packaging dates from Nov. 19, 2014 through Jan. 4, 2015 on the label. The products were produced from Dec. 1, 2014 through Jan. 5, 2015, and then packaged using a Cryovac machine by a co-packer of La Guadalupana Wholesale from Nov.19, 2014 through Jan. 2, 2015. La Guadalupana Wholesale’s co-packer did not conduct a hazard analysis to determine the food safety hazards reasonably likely to occur in the cryovacing process and did not identify the preventive measures the establishment could apply to control those hazards. The chicken tamales are a RTE product and fall within the Fully Cooked Not Shelf Stable category. As such, their production requires an Lm program. The product is also processed by means of physical handling and packaging, thus further requiring a HACCP plan. They were distributed for retail sale in Chicago, Ill.
The problem was discovered by an FSIS inspector, who was conducting a sanitation task in the co-packer’s establishment and saw plant personnel handling the RTE product in a room where raw product is also handled. An investigation was conducted and found that the co-packer had not conducted an RTE hazard analysis, developed or implemented a HACCP plan for the chicken tamales, or developed and implemented an Lm testing program. Thus, there is no assurance the products are wholesome and; therefore, safe for consumption. Consequently, the products may support the growth of pathogens that may be detrimental to health.
FSIS and the company have received no reports of illness due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
Consumers and media with questions about the recall may contact the company’s general manager, Alejandro Castro at info@senortamale.com or at 1-866-954-3654.
Source: USDA FSIS
