LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – A significant food recall affecting over 11 million pounds of “ready-to-eat” chicken and meat products has been issued amid concerns of potential Listeria contamination. The recall includes hundreds of food items, such as pre-made salads and prepackaged meals, sold at popular retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, and others across Kentucky. “Listeria, although it’s not one of the more common food-born illnesses we have, it’s one of the more food-born illnesses we have to worry about people dying from,” said Skip Castleman with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. The recall follows the detection of Listeria in “ready-to-eat” chicken and meat products, like grilled chicken breast strips, by officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The implicated food producer is BrucePac is now recalling these products in response to the findings. “The problem with listeria is its a very hearty species, and it can survive temperatures below freezing, ,as a matter of fact it can still grow in temperatures below freezing. So just because you froze something or you heat it up really well, this is a pretty hearty bacteria, that you need to just throw it out and be on the safe side,” said Castleman. The Food Safety and Inspection Service expressed concern that some of the affected products may still be available for use in restaurants, institutions, schools, and other establishments. Health experts have noted that symptoms of Listeria infection can take between 9 to 48 hours to appear after consumption. “”Fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and in some cases diarrhea and vomiting,” he said, “Anybody with an immune system that’s not fully mature, which usually we say people under 12 years old, in that neighborhood,” said Castleman. Fayette County Public Schools has confirmed that none of their food supplies come from BrucePac. As of now, health officials report no confirmed cases of illness following the consumption of these products. Consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and discard any recalled items to ensure safety. Categories: Featured, Local News, National News, News Tags: BrucePac, Kentucky, Listeria, ood recall, public health, ready-to-eat meals, USDA