WASHINGTON – Nick’s Famous Bar-B-Q, Nashville, Tenn., is recalling approximately 3,140 lbs of ready-to-eat smoked pork barbecue products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, said the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

The items subject to the recall include 20-l. boxes of “Nick’s FAMOUS Hickory Smoked Pork Bar-B-Q” with a case code of 23452 and a use by date of 09/2022.

The frozen RTE products subject to the recall bear establishment number “EST. 17863” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were produced on Sept. 7, 2021, and Sept. 8, 2021, and packaged on Sept. 8, 2021, FSIS said.

The affected items were distributed to institutions, including school locations in North Carolina. While the product was distributed to schools, it resulted from a commercial sale and was not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program. However, the agency is concerned that some product may be in institutions’ freezers. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS discovered the problem during an assessment of the establishment’s production records. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. FSIS is urging anyone concerned about an injury or illness to contact a healthcare provider.

L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns, FSIS said. Symptoms of infection can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

FSIS advises that people in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.