White Castle Issues Recall of Frozen Sliders Over Possible Listeria Contamination
White Castle is voluntarily recalling some of its burgers after the presence of listeria was discovered in one of its manufacturing plants.
The company and the US Food and Drug Administration are recalling a number of frozen sliders sold at grocery stores and retail outlets due to possible listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to a notice posted on Friday.
The voluntary recall includes a limited number of frozen 6-pack cheeseburgers, frozen 6-pack hamburgers, frozen 6-pack jalapeno cheeseburgers, and 16-pack hamburgers with “best by” dates ranging from Aug. 4, 2020 to Aug. 17, 2020. Product with these dates are being removed from store shelves, according to the notice.
The notice also states that the recall is limited only to frozen packaged burgers sold in stores, while White Castle’s fast-food locations are not affected.
“Our number one focus is the safety of our customers and our team members, and as a family owned business, we want to hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards of accountability in all aspects of our business – and especially food safety,” White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson said in a statement.
The recall was issued by White Castle after a third party lab conducted a sample of its frozen sandwiches from one manufacturing facility and found a presence of the listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
White Castle has not shipped any product from this facility to customers, and all impacted production runs have been identified for destruction, according to the notice.
White Castle is also taking actions at the manufacturing plant where the problem was identified — including intensive sanitation and cleaning with guidance from outside food safety experts, elevating already strong food safety testing and manufacturing guidelines and conducting comprehensive testing to confirm no presence of listeria in the facility, the notice read.
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“This voluntary recall is precautionary and is the right thing to do,” Richardson said.
According to the FDA, listeria monocytogenesis can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with compromised immune systems. While healthy individuals may experience short-term symptoms such as a high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, a listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Though illnesses associated with these products have not been reported to date, White Castle and the FDA are urging customers who may have purchased any of the recalled products to dispose of them or return them to the store for an exchange or full refund. The notice also recommends customers to consult with their physician regarding any medical questions.
According to its website, White Castle’s frozen products are sold at retailers such as 7-Eleven, Aldi, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Rite Aid, Sam’s Club and Walmart.
