Dr. Siegel's food safety tips for Thanksgiving dinner
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel joins 'Fox & Friends' to give his tips on having a safe and healthy Thanksgiving.
A lot of time and energy goes into preparing Thanksgiving dinner, so it’s important to ensure that your meal isn’t ruined by potentially contaminated food.
Several food items have recently come under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for illness outbreaks and potential contamination.
Below are three recalled foods to know about ahead of the holiday.
1. Organic carrots
The FDA announced a voluntary recall of organic carrots by Grimmway Farms in California pending an investigation of an E.coli outbreak.
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The recall includes multiple sizes and brands of bagged organic whole and baby carrots.
The organic whole carrots were available for retail purchase from Aug. 14 through Oct. 23, 2024, from the following brands: 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organics, President’s Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry.
Grimmway Farms announced a voluntary recall of its carrot products (not pictured) for potential E. coli contamination. (iStock)
The recalled organic baby carrots include specific best-if-used-by dates on the bags from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12, 2024.
The brands of baby carrots include 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Kroger, LIDL, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organics, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry.
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The recall for organic whole carrots was expanded to include different bag sizes, including Bunny Luv 50 pounds bags, Cal-Organic 15-pound and 50-pound bags, and Good & Gather 1-pound bags.
The FDA noted that these products are likely "no longer available for sale in stores," but could be in consumers' homes.
Other companies that used these products from Grimmway Farms are conducting their own recalls.
"Consumers should check their refrigerators and freezers and should not eat recalled bagged organic whole or baby carrots," the FDA warned. (iStock)
"Consumers should check their refrigerators and freezers and should not eat recalled bagged organic whole or baby carrots," the FDA wrote in the notice.
"If you have these products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched," the agency recommended.
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"If you purchased organic whole or baby carrots and stored them without the original packaging and don’t know what brand they are, you should not eat them and should throw them away."
2. Ground beef
Wolverine Packing Co. in Detroit, Michigan, has recalled ground beef products due to potential E. coli contamination.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Nov. 20 that the manufacturer recalled nearly 168,000 pounds of ground beef that could have been contaminated.
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The fresh ground beef products have a "use by" date of Nov. 14, 2024, and the frozen products have a labeled production date on Oct. 22, 2024.
The recalled ground beef products were shipped to restaurants across the U.S., according to the FSIS. (iStock)
The FSIS noted that these products were shipped to restaurant locations nationwide, and expressed concern that the contaminated meat could still be in refrigerators or freezers.
"Restaurants are urged not to serve these products," the agency stated in the recall announcement.
"These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."
3. Ready-to-eat meat
Yu Shang Food, Inc., located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, recalled nearly 73,000 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products due to possible listeria contamination.
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The FSIS reissued the announcement on Nov. 21, noting that all RTE products that are within their shelf life and were produced before Oct. 28, 2024, are subject to recall.
These products were shipped to retail stores across the country and were available for online purchase.
Certain ready-to-eat meat and poultry products could be contaminated with listeria, health officials warn. (iStock)
The agency warned that these products could be in the refrigerators and freezers of consumers and urged buyers not to consume them.
"These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase," FSIS instructed.
Doctor offers safety tips
While listeria exposure can cause a variety of symptoms, from high fever to nausea and vomiting, Fox News senior medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel emphasized the dangers of E. coli infection.
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"It causes blood diarrhea and rarely kidney failure," he told Fox News Digital. "It is generally not treated with antibiotics because it can cause the bacteria to die and spread more toxins."
The chances of contracting illness from this E. coli outbreak are "very low," according to Siegel. "There are over 150,000 pounds involved and only 15 known cases," he said.
The doctor shared some recommendations to prevent infection.
Hand-washing is important for preventing foodborne illness. (iStock)
"Cook your meat [at] more than 160 degrees, and don't keep it too long," he said. "Look for changes in color or smell."
"Washing produce won't always get rid of it, [but] wash your hands. Keep produce separate from uncooked meat to avoid cross-contamination."
Fox News Digital reached out to Yu Shang Foods, Grimmway Farms and Wolverine Packing Co. for comment.
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