White Castle has is recalling of a limited number of microwaveable frozen Sliders, including 6-packs of Cheeseburgers, Hamburgers and Jalapeño Cheeseburgers, and 16-pack Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers, due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. All of the products are sold in rectangular cardboard packages at retail stores across the USA.
The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, and possibility cause miscarriages or stillbirths among pregnant women.
The voluntary recall is for SKUs in distribution with best by dates ranging from August 4-17, 2020. Any products with these dates on are packaging are being removed from shelves. To date, public health officials have not reported any illness associated with these items.
“This recall is precautionary and is the right thing to do. Our number one focus is the safety of our customers and our team members, and we want to hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards of accountability in all aspects of our business – and especially food safety,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president of Columbus, Ohio-headquartered White Castle.
While the company conducts frequent and regular quality assurance tests, a recent sample of frozen sandwiches from a single manufacturing unit examined by a third party laboratory showed presence of Listeria monocytogenes. After the problem was identified, White Castle stopped shipping products from the facility. Following rigorous safety testing protocols, all impacted production runs have been identified for destruction.
The company has maintained complete control of all items produced at the facility since the first indication of a problem. Among safety measures taken have been intensive sanitation and cleaning with guidance from outside food safety experts; aggressively elevating of already strong food safety testing and manufacturing guidelines; conducting comprehensive testing to confirm no presence of listeria in the facility.
Persons who have purchased the frozen Sliders should not eat them, but throw away the product or return it to the retailer to obtain a full refund. Further information, including lot code details, is available contacting White Castle at the following toll-free phone number: 1-800-843-2728.
