Listeria Problem Closes Big Boy Plant
Big Boy Restaurants International of Warren, Michigan, has permanently closed a subsidiary that made ready-to-eat meal kits. The closing comes three months after Big Boy Food Group recalled 39,514 pounds of kids' meals that may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
A story in Crain's Detroit Business quoted the company as saying it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to find the source of contamination. It had been shut down since October 23 in search of a solution. The contamination source was in equipment and It was not economically feasible to correct the problem and resume operations, the story said.
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall September 1. It covered 3.6-ounce ham & cheese and turkey & cheese DinoLunch and Lunch Buddies meal kits. No illnesses were reported in connection with the recall, which was prompted by FSIS product testing.
Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.
