Barber Foods Recalls Over 1.7 Million Pounds Of Frozen Raw Chicken Due To Contamination By Salmonella

Barber Foods announced on July 12 that they are recalling over 1.7 million pounds of frozen raw chicken that may contain salmonella, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

A recall on July 2 affected Barber Foods' breaded and raw varieties of their stuffed chicken breasts, but now it has been expanded to all Barber Foods products. The infected chicken products were produced between February 17 and May 20 of this year.

Four patients in Minnesota and Wisconsin fell ill as a result of salmonella food poisoning, and another two cases have been reported since the first recall, prompting the expanded recall. Barber Foods wrote on their website: "It is important for you to know that we are working collaboratively with the USDA to modify our production practices including, but not limited to, additional levels of microbiological analysis and additional control procedures to reduce Salmonella in both incoming and outgoing raw stuffed chicken breast products."

The USDA noted that all uncooked chicken should be handled carefully to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen and that all raw poultry should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.