CDC expands recall of pork products

Consumers should check any pork they might have in their refrigerators and freezers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Friday.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalled 116,262 pounds of pork from the Washington-based Kapowsin Meats that was produced on various dates between April 18 and April 26, but CDC said the recall has been expanded to approximately 523,380 pounds of pork products produced up until August 26.

USDA said the pork products, which include whole pigs for barbecue and fabricated pork products including various pork offal products — which are made from organ meat, pork blood and pork trim — could be contaminated with a multidrug-resistant strain of salmonella.

As of August 27, CDC said 152 people in Washington have reportedly been infected with salmonella; of those 24 people have been hospitalized. The agency said no deaths have been reported.

“Consumers should check their homes and freezers for the recalled pork products and should not cook or eat them,” CDC said in a news release on Friday. “Retailers should not sell these products and restaurants should not serve them.”

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “Est. 1628” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were shipped to various individuals, retail locations, institutions and distributors in Alaska, Oregon and Washington.