Consumer Alert: There is a recall of Starbucks sausage, egg and cheddar cheese breakfast sandwiches made by Progressive Gourmet Inc. of Wilmington, MA. The recall was issued because there is a risk of these sandwiches being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, dangerous bacteria that cause an illness called listeriosis, according to the FDA. Even a few cells of Listeria can be deadly. In fact, the mortality rate is generally 20% or higher in most outbreaks of illness.
Listeria monocytogenes is bacteria that can contaminate food during or after processing. It causes severe illness if ingested by a pregnant woman, elderly person or someone with a compromised immune system (HIV, diabetes, cancer, etc.). In pregnant women, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. If a baby is born with listeriosis, he or she may die. One of the complications is meningitis, an infection of the lining of the brain that is often fatal.
Starbucks Recall Announcement
Progressive Gourmet Inc. of Wilmington, MA, recalled its 6-ounce packages of Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin breakfast sandwiches manufactured for Starbucks Coffee Co. “out of the abundance of caution” because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Description: The product comes in a 6 ounce, clear plastic labeled package marked with Best Before: 07-AUG-2016 on the top. Note, no other production runs of this product are impacted by this recall.
Where Sold: These potentially impacted sandwiches were possibly sold to consumers by select Starbucks stores in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma Starbucks Stores on 3/3/16 and 3/4/16. This recall is limited to impacted 250 stores in Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma only. (The recalled sandwiches were distributed to warehouses in Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana). As soon as Starbucks was informed of this potential issue, the impacted product was removed from the 250 stores that potentially received it. The scope of this issue is limited to these stores.
Listeria Testing: The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on a contact surface within the production facility.
Reports of Illness: To date, there have been no reports of illness connected with this product; however, the incubation period for Listeria can be as long as 60 days.
What Should You Do: Consumers who have purchased 6-ounce packages of the sandwich are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Because these sandwiches are heated up and sold for immediate consumption at Starbucks coffee shops, there are probably no products to return.
If you ate an egg and cheddar cheese breakfast sandwich at a Starbucks in Arkansas, Texas or Oklahoma, you need to watch for signs of listeriosis food poisoning: fever, muscle aches, upset stomach, diarrhea, stiff neck, headache, loss of balance, confusion, convulsions. Pregnant women generally have a fever and some muscle aches, but not serious symptoms; however, their unborn babies can die.
Listeria Lawsuit
If you are diagnosed with listeriosis, you can contact our law firm for a free consultation (click here) regarding your case.
Most cases are settled, often before a lawsuit is filed. This is because we use solid, scientific evidence to link illnesses to food products. This DNA evidence is called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Our Listeria lawyers have obtained millions for our clients, including $3,500,000 to a couple whose unborn twins died after the mother ate contaminated deli meat while pregnant.
Although settlements are common, we are always ready and willing to take a case to court if that is in the best interest of our client. You should also know that we do not file a class action suit. This is because the injuries to the outbreak victims are very different, and class actions are for situations where the harm is the same or very similar. You can ask one of our lawyers about this.
Our law firm is also representing people allegedly sickened in the listeriosis outbreak linked to Dole salad.