A Starbucks recall has been issued for some breakfast sandwich ingredients after concerns over listeria were raised.
Pre-packaged sausage, egg, and cheddar cheese on English muffin sandwiches sent to 250 Starbucks stores in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas have been
pulled from shelves, according to NBC News. The sandwiches are made by Progressive Gourmet, a supplier in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
According to a
statement posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website, Progressive stated that the sandwiches were sent to stores last Thursday and Friday. The possibly tainted menu items were distributed from 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 FDA statement read. "The scope of this issue is limited to these stores. 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."
"No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product. Progressive Gourmet is working closely with FDA and the Massachusetts Department of Health and continues to investigate the source of the problem," the statement concluded.
A Starbucks representative told NBC News that the company took swift action in identifying and removing the sandwiches.
"The product itself has not tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes," the representative said. "No other products are affected because of this issue. We have not received any reports of illnesses to date."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and those with compromised immune systems, the agency stated.
This is the second time four months Starbucks has faced a recall of sandwiches. In November, the coffee chain had to pull holiday turkey paninis from 1,347 stores in the United States over E. coli concerns connected to the same scare that affected
Costco Wholesale Corp., according to Bloomberg Business.
That recall affected Starbucks restaurants in California, Oregon, and Nevada, the company told Bloomberg at the time.