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Over 150 schools may be affected by massive poultry and beef recall over listeria concerns

The list includes schools in several states, such as Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, among others.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees matters related to the production of food
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The United States Department of Agriculture has listed over 150 schools that may be impacted by a massive poultry and beef recall over listeria concerns.

The list includes schools in several states, such as Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, among others.

The full list of schools that may be affected can be found here.

The recall includes nearly 12 million pounds of BrucePac meat products. BruePac sells precooked meat and poultry to food service and retail companies nationwide.

RELATED STORY | Listeria recall grows to 12 million pounds of meat and poultry, some of it sent to US schools

In an initial recall issued on Oct. 9, the USDA posted a massive list of hundreds of potentially affected foods, including chicken wraps, burritos, salads and other products sold at major retailers like Trader Joe’s, Costco, Target and Walmart.

The recall was expanded a week later to include more ready-to-eat meals sold at schools, restaurants and major retailers.

The recall was initiated when routine testing found listeria bacteria in samples of BrucePac chicken processed at a Durant, Oklahoma, manufacturing plant operated by BruePac.

A full list of recalled products can be found here.

Listeria

Listeria bacteria are capable of contaminating many foods, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who eat the foods can become infected by the germs and fall ill. Infection is rare, but serious.

Symptoms of listeria infection vary depending on the person infected and the part of the body that becomes infected, according to the CDC. Symptoms may include ever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.

Those at high risk for serious listeria illness include pregnant people, newborns, people 65 and older, and those with compromised immune systems, the CDC says.

Listeria is the third leading cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the CDC.