Berkley Grocers Not Affected by Salmonella-Related Recalls

Shoppers, rest assured: Neither grocery store in Berkley has been affected by two recent product recalls – one of cat food, the other of ground turkey – over concerns about salmonella contamination.

Representatives from and from said their stores do not carry the Purina cat food formula or ground turkey involved in the following recalls.

• The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Wednesday that Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. of Springdale, AK, has recalled approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products distributed nationwide that may be contaminated with a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. Dozens of illnesses and at least one death have been reported, according to the FSIS. Click the link above for more details about how to identify affected meat.
• "Nestle Purina PetCare Co. (NPPC) is voluntarily recalling a limited number of 3.5- and 7-pound bags of its Purina One Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food from a single production run and shipped to customers in 12 states (including Michigan) in December 2010," says a press released posted July 29 on the company's website. "This is being done because some bags of the product have been found to be contaminated with salmonella." No other Purina products were included in the recall, according to the company. Click the link above for more details about how to identify affected cat food.

Salmonella is a genus of bacteria strains that can cause an illness called salmonellosis, whose symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonellosis usually clears up on its own after four to seven days, but more severe cases can lead to death unless treated with antibiotics, the CDC says. The elderly, infants and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to fall into the latter category, according to the CDC.

Luckily, shoppers at Hiller's and Westborn can rest assured that products purchased at the Berkley retailers are not part of the current salmonella scare.

"We don't sell any of the ground turkey that has been recalled," Hiller's Assistant Manager Kris Brodhagen said Thursday, adding that the grocer's corporate meat buyer checked into it personally.

The store does not sell the Purina cat food, either, Brodhagen said.

Likewise, Russ North, Westborn meat department manager, said Thursday that the store's supplier has confirmed that none of the turkey it sells is part of the meat recall.

Store manager Rob Henry said Westborn does not sell cat food.

However, if you remain concerned about salmonella infection, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service provides the following recommendations for preventing salmonellosis:

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Also wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water. Clean up spills right away.
• Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.
• Cook raw meat and poultry to safe internal temperatures before eating. The safe internal temperature for ground meat such as beef and pork is 160° Fahrenheit and 165° Fahrenheit for poultry, as determined with a food thermometer.
• Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase (one hour if temperatures exceed 90° Fahrenheit). Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.