New York, New Jersey schools included in listeria recall linked to meat in pre-packaged meals

NEW YORK — Dozens of New York and New Jersey schools are impacted by a recall of meat and poultry products potentially contaminated with listeria.

The recall has grown to include nearly 12 million pounds of products, including ready-to-eat meals sent to schools, restaurants and major retailers, federal officials said.

Recalled foods sent to New York and New Jersey schools

Click here for the full list of schools impacted nationwide, and see the list below provided by the USDA for schools in New York and New Jersey:

The Bronx

• International Leadership Charter High School, 3030 Riverdale Avenue
• Neighborhood Charter School: Bronx, 411 Wales Avenue

Harlem

• Neighborhood Charter School of Harlem, 691 St. Nicholas Avenue

Staten Island

• New World Prep, 285 Clove Road
• New World Prep, 355 Morningstar Road
• New World Prep, 465 Villa Avenue
• St. Charles School, 200 Penn Avenue

Long Island

• New Hyde Park Road School, 300 New Hyde Park Road, New Hyde Park, NY 
• Robert W. Carbonaro Elementary School, 50 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream, NY
• Roosevelt Children’s Academy, 105 Pleasant Ave, Roosevelt, NY  
• Roosevelt Children’s Academy Charter School, 200 W Centennial Ave, Roosevelt, NY
• William L Buck School, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, NY

Jersey City, New Jersey

• Danforth Avenue Early Childhood Center, 160 Danforth Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #6, St .Pauls Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #12, 91 Astor Place
• Jersey City Public School #15, 135 Stegman Street
• Jersey City Public School #16, 275 Washington Street
• Jersey City Public School #20, 218 Ocean Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #22, 265 Van Horne Street
• Jersey City Public School #23, 1000 Westside Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #24, 220 Virginia Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #25, 3385 Kennedy Boulevard
• Jersey City Public School #27, 201 North Street
• Jersey City Public School #29, 123 Claremont Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #30, 171 Seaview Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #31, 3055 Kennedy Boulevard
• Jersey City Public School #33, 362 Union Street
• Jersey City Public School #34, 1830 JFK Boulevard
• Jersey City Public School #37, 158 Erie Street
• Jersey City Public School #39, 214 Plainfield Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #40, 88 Gates Avenue
• Jersey City Public School #41, 59 Wilkinson Avenue
• Jersey City Regional Day School, 425 Johnston Avenue
• Renaissance Institute, 128 Duncan Avenue

Newark, New Jersey

• Alexander Street Elementary School, 43 Alexander Street
• Clinton Hill Middle School, 600 Clinton Avenue
• Fairmount Heights Elementary School, 308 S 9th Street
• Fairmount Heights Middle School, 240 14th Avenue
• Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School, 17 Crawford Street
• Great Oaks Legacy Downtown Elementary School, 909 Broad Street
• Great Oaks Legacy Downtown Middle School, 24 Maiden Lane
• Lincoln Park Elementary School, 377 Washington Street
• Lincoln Park High School, 377 Washington Street
• UVSO Ivy Hill Pre-School, 475-487 Irvington Avenue
• UVSO Pal Street Daycare, 6 Palm Street
• Vailsburg Elementary School, 24 Hazelwood Avenue
• Vailsburg Middle School, 24 Hazelwood Avenue
• West Side Park Middle School 120 Livingston Street Newark NJ
• West Side Park Elementary School  557 15th Ave Newark NJ

New Brunswick, New Jersey

• Greater Brunswick Charter School, 429 Joyce Kilmer Avenue

Woodland Park, New Jersey

• John P Holland Charter School, 5 Garret Mountain Plaza

Recall only affects schools’ pre-packaged meals, superintendent says

Jersey City Schools Superintendent Norma Fernandez told CBS News New York the recall only impacted pre-packaged meals delivered to the district.

To be safe, schools thew away any potentially contaminated lunches this week. 

“There’s no way of knowing because not all the food that was identified was definitely contaminated. So it may all be good to eat, but we’re not going to take the risk. It was removed immediately and we will continue to follow all the recommendations,” Fernandez said. 

Parents should still monitor their children for any symptoms over the coming weeks. Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness. Stiff neck, confusion and loss of balance are also possible symptoms.   

“It can be very dangerous to anyone who gets it. But children are especially at risk, as are people who are immunocompromised,” said Trevor Craig, a senior technical director at Microbac.

Symptoms may no appear for days, weeks or months. 

“It’s persistent when they do have infections that come from listeria. So this isn’t a one to two day thing. This can last for several days into weeks and get very, very severe if not treated,” Craig said. 

The products, we’re told, were not part of the USDA’s National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. 

So far, no illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the recall, USDA officials said. 

BrucePac chicken samples tested positive for listeria, USDA says

The updated recall includes prepared salads, burritos and other foods sold at stores including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target and Walmart. Meat used in those products was processed at a manufacturing plant in Durant, Oklahoma, operated by BrucePac.

BrucePac based in Woodburn, Oregon, sells precooked meat and poultry to industrial, foodservice and retail companies across the country. 

Recalled foods were sold under numerous brands, according to federal officials, including: 7Eleven, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Kitchen, Atkins, Bell & Evans, Boston Market, Central Eats, Dole, Eat!, El Monterey, Fresh Express, Fusia, Giant Eagle, Gordon Choice, Good & Gather, Great Value, H-E-B, HMS, Home Chef, Jenny Craig, KitchenMate, Kroger, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Meijer, Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods, Michelina’s, Mom’s Meals, RaceTrac, Raley’s, Ready Meals, Red’s, Save Mart, Signature Select, Taylor Farms, Trader Joe’s, Udi’s, Wegmans, Whitsons.        

Routine testing found potentially dangerous listeria bacteria in samples of BrucePac chicken, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not launched an outbreak investigation, a spokesperson said.

How to ID products in the BrucePac recall

The USDA posted a 342-page list of hundreds of potentially affected foods, including chicken wraps sold at Trader Joe’s, chicken burritos sold at Costco and many types of salads sold at stores like Target and Walmart. The foods were also sent to school districts and restaurants across the country.

The recall, issued on Oct. 9, includes foods produced between May 31 and Oct. 8, 2024. The recalled foods can be identified by establishment numbers “51205 or P-51205” inside or under the USDA mark of inspection. 

Consumers can search on the USDA recall site to find potentially affected products. Recalled foods should be thrown away or returned to stores for refunds, officials said.  

Listeria infection symptoms

Eating foods contaminated with listeria can cause potentially serious illness. About 1,600 people are infected with listeria bacteria every year in the U.S. and about 260 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for older people, those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

The same type of bacteria is responsible for an outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat that has killed at least 10 people since May. The outbreak prompted one Long Island deli to start selling deli meats under its own label. 

contributed to this report.