Recalled Cheeseburgers Given Highest Risk Level by FDA

Cheeseburgers recalled in October due to possible listeria contamination have been classed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the highest risk level, as of Wednesday.

Dakota Tom's Sandwiches, based in South Dakota, recalled three products as they used burger patties impacted by another recall.

The company outsourced its patties from BrucePac, who announced October 9 a recall of millions of pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria is bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly dangerous to young children, frail or elderly people, unborn babies, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

The three products recalled by Dakota Tom's Sandwiches—Pepperjack Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheeseburger and The Gambler—were set as "Class I" risk by the FDA, meaning: "a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

Listeriosis—infection with listeria—is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates the bacteria infects 1,600 and kills 260 Americans each year.

Most people infected with listeria experience short-term symptoms such as a fever, a headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The affected burgers were sold in grocery and convenience stores in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wyoming.

They have "Best By" dates between September 1, 2024, and November 23, 2024, and UPCs of "737296806008" for the Pepperjack Cheeseburger, "737296803007" for the Bacon Cheeseburger and "737296601788" for The Gambler.

Later products are not affected, as Dakota Tom's Sandwiches no longer uses patties from BrucePac's impacted facility.

The contamination was originally discovered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at BrucePac's manufacturing facility in Durant, Oklahoma.

Since then, it has been announced by FSIS that the BrucePac recall impacted nearly 12 million pounds of meat products, sold under a variety of popular brand names including Trader Joe's, Boston Market, Wegman's, Dole, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Kitchen, Great Value, Michelina's and Atkins.

The meat was also sent to hundreds of schools in at least 16 U.S. states.

No illnesses were reported in connection with the recall of Dakota Tom's Sandwiches by October 18, when it was first announced, but Newsweek has approached the company for comment via email to confirm whether this is still true.

Consumers who have purchased these burgers are being urged not to consume them, but to return them to their places of purchase or discard them.

Consumers with questions can call Dakota Tom's Sandwiches at 605-946-5123.

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