Recall Release CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-020-2005 HEALTH RISK: HIGH
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113; FAX: (202) 690-0460
Amanda Eamich
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2005 – Don Pedro’s Meat, a La Puente, Calif., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 40 pounds of sausage products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
Products subject to recall include:
2- and 10-pound packages of “DON PEDRO’S MEAT, RELLENA, COOKED PORK BLOOD SAUSAGE.” The establishment code “EST. 20946” appears inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The sausage was produced on April 8 and was distributed to retail establishments in Los Angeles, Calif. The problem was discovered through routine FSIS regulatory sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems including infants, the elderly and persons with chronic disease, such as HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.
Media with questions about the recall should contact company HACCP coordinator Miguel Jimenez at (626) 336-8900. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact company Sales Director Karla Hernandez at (626) 336-8900.
Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). The hotline is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
Listeria Precautions:
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-MPHotline or visit www.fsis.usda.gov
People at risk for listeriosis and their family members or individuals preparing food for them should:
Reheat until steaming hot the following types of ready-to-eat foods: hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented and dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry products. Thoroughly reheating food can help kill any bacteria that might be present. If you cannot reheat these foods, do not eat them.
Wash hands with hot, soapy water after handling these types of ready-to-eat foods. (Wash for at least 20 seconds.) Also wash cutting boards, dishes, and utensils. Thorough washing helps eliminate any bacteria that might get on your hands or other surfaces from food before it is reheated.
Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined or Mexican-style cheese. You can eat hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
Do not drink raw, unpasteurized milk or eat foods made from it, such as unpasteurized cheese.
Observe all expiration dates for perishable items that are precooked or ready-to-eat.