A Georgia-based food company has recalled thousands of pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products, which were sold in seven different states, after determining the products may have been contaminated with listeria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced.
Suzanna’s Kitchen, headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, recalled roughly 13,720 pounds of its ready-to-eat grilled chicken breast fillet products, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a branch of the Department of Agriculture.
The recalled products were produced on Oct. 14, 2025, and sold in 10-pound cases containing two 5-pound bags of cooked grilled chicken breast fillets with rib meat, health officials said. They were sent to distribution centers for food service sales in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio.
There have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to the consumption of the recalled products. Officials said the problem was discovered by a third-party laboratory, which tested the chicken fillets and reported a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes, a type of disease-causing bacteria that can infect people when they eat food that has been contaminated with it.
The bacteria can be found in a number of places, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including soil, water, sewage, vegetation and animals. It can survive and grow even when products it contaminates are refrigerated, and is generally transmitted when food is “harvested, processed, prepared, packed, transported, or stored in manufacturing or production environments contaminated with L. monocytogenes,” the FDA says.
Listeria infections are the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates that 1,250 people contract the infection each year and 172 people die from it.
Although no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled products from Suzanna’s Kitchen, officials have encouraged anyone with concerns to contact a healthcare provider.
Cases and packaging of potentially contaminated meat have the establishment number P-1382 inside the USDA mark of inspection. They also have the lot code 60104 P1382 287 5 J14.
CBS News has reached out to Suzanna’s Kitchen for comment.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday that she is suspending payments on all active and future awards from the USDA to Minnesota amid the long-running fraud scandal in which the White House has alleged a misuse of federal funds.
In a letter addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Rollins said the suspended payments, as of Friday evening, total just over $129 million.
“Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense feasures to stop fraud,” Rollins said in the letter, which she posted on social media.
She asked Walz and Frey to provide her agency with justification for all federal spending to the state from Jan. 20 of last year “to the present” within 30 days, and said that payments moving forward will “require such payment justification.”
In a reply to Rollins’ post, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said on social media, “I will not allow you to take from Minnesotans in need. I’ll see you in court.”
WCCO has reached out to Walz’s and Frey’s respective offices for comment.
“Minnesota is going to be the protocols, procedures and investigative techniques and collaboration. Minnesota is going to be the genesis for a national rollout,” Bessent said while visiting the state.
Walz on Monday announced he was dropping out of the 2026 gubernatorial race amid intense scrutiny of his handling of the scandal, though he has defended his administration’s response, saying “we’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters” and accusing Mr. Trump of “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday that she is suspending payments on all active and future awards from the USDA to Minnesota amid the long-running fraud scandal in which the White House has alleged a misuse of federal funds.
In a letter addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Rollins said the suspended payments, as of Friday evening, total just over $129 million.
“Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense feasures to stop fraud,” Rollins said in the letter, which she posted on social media.
She asked Walz and Frey to provide her agency with justification for all federal spending to the state from Jan. 20 of last year “to the present” within 30 days, and said that payments moving forward will “require such payment justification.”
In a reply to Rollins’ post, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said on social media, “I will not allow you to take from Minnesotans in need. I’ll see you in court.”
WCCO has reached out to Walz’s and Frey’s respective offices for comment.
“Minnesota is going to be the protocols, procedures and investigative techniques and collaboration. Minnesota is going to be the genesis for a national rollout,” Bessent said while visiting the state.
Walz on Monday announced he was dropping out of the 2026 gubernatorial race amid intense scrutiny of his handling of the scandal, though he has defended his administration’s response, saying “we’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters” and accusing Mr. Trump of “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
TAHLEQUAH – The president announced on Dec. 8, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $12 billion available to farmers in a one-time bridge payment to farmers, to be released by Feb. 28, 2026.
President Donald J. Trump, along with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, announced the payments in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.
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TAHLEQUAH – The president announced on Dec. 8, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $12 billion available to farmers in a one-time bridge payment to farmers, to be released by Feb. 28, 2026.
President Donald J. Trump, along with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, announced the payments in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.
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TAHLEQUAH – The president announced on Dec. 8, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $12 billion available to farmers in a one-time bridge payment to farmers, to be released by Feb. 28, 2026.
President Donald J. Trump, along with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, announced the payments in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.
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An aid package for American farmers could be announced in a matter of weeks, according to Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins. CBS News correspondent Lana Zak has more from Iowa City.
After weeks of uncertainty, millions of Americans could soon start receiving federal nutrition assistance benefits again as Congress moves closer to ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The House of Representatives could vote on a funding package for federal agencies as soon as Wednesday night. The legislation, which the Senate approved on Monday, would restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits for November. It also calls for state governments to be reimbursed for any funds they spent to run programs usually paid for by the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states last month that it would not fund SNAP, better known as food stamps, for November if the shutdown continued. Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP payments.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to extend a pause of a federal judge’s ruling that ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November. Adding to the confusion for food-stamp recipients, some states have since issued full benefits for November, while others have sent only partial or no payments.
The USDA and the Office of Management and Budget did not respond to requests for comment on when SNAP recipients could expect their full benefits to resume.
Experts told CBS News they expect the flow of benefits to start relatively quickly once the shutdown ends, but noted that the exact timeline could differ by state.
Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a nonprofit group focused on ending hunger, said states that have already attempted to issue the full November payment should be able to move fast, while others may need a few days to deal with administrative issues.
“States that did not issue full benefits earlier will need to resubmit their files to their EBT vendors for processing, which may take a few additional days,” she said.
Crystal FitzSimons, president of FRAC, recommended that food-stamp participants check their state family and social services websites for updates on when payments will go out.
SNAP timing differs by state
At least 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, issued full benefits to at least some recipients last week, according to The Associated Press. That funding was distributed in the short window between a Nov. 6 court ruling that required the federal government to make full SNAP payments and a ruling the following day by the Supreme Court that blocked the lower court’s order.
In addition, 16 states have loaded the EBT cards used in SNAP with partial benefits, the AP reported.
Although federal agencies could soon be set to reopen, experts said the interruption in nutrition aid has already hurt many Americans who lean on SNAP to put food on the table.
“You can’t eat retroactively when your SNAP was delayed,” Victoria Negus, a senior economic justice advocate at the nonprofit Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, told CBS News. “Getting your [delayed] benefits is better than never getting them at all, but it doesn’t help the harm that you experienced in the past.”
SALEM — The city of Salem’s Food Policy Council and the Salem Children’s Alliance have partnered with the Salem YMCA to make donated grocery store gift cards available for residents who lost their SNAP benefits.
“Thanks to the many generous Salem residents who have already stepped up to donate grocery gift cards to support our neighbors in need during this difficult time,” Mayor Dominick Pangallo said.
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DENVER — The Trump administration is supposed to start rolling out partial SNAP benefits Wednesday. This is a significant development for the roughly 600,000 Coloradans that rely on this assistance to buy food.
The money normally allocated for SNAP is frozen right now during the federal government shutdown as Congress fails to reach a deal on the national budget.
Families stretching every dollar at grocery stores and relying on food banks won’t see an end to that struggle immediately because it could still take some time before these partial SNAP benefits reach them.
The Colorado Department of Human Services received federal guidance to issue the partial assistance and is making technical system updates with its EBT processor to distribute funds as quickly as possible.
CDHS receives federal guidance to issue partial SNAP benefits
Denver7 spoke with Jefferson County nonprofit The Action Center. The group said families are stressed, confused, and facing a ripple effect that could last for months.
“It’s going to be half the amount that they normally get. We’ll see that ripple effect with need for families into December, into January, and long term, where they’ve had to make really, really hard decisions, and how it’s going to affect their financial well being in months to come,” Sunny Garcia with the Action Center said.
What Garcia is talking about is roughly $4.6 billion being released in emergency funds, which is only half of what’s usually given out. That in itself could cause confusion.
“The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not designated specific dollars per state,” the Colorado Department of Human Services said. “The compliance ruling cites that the contingency fund will be obligated to “cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments.”
States will now recalculate benefits based on new maximum allotments, but families shouldn’t expect to receive half of their usual SNAP benefits for November.
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BOSTON — Beacon Hill leaders are being urged to tap the state’s $8.6 billion “rainy day” fund to help offset the impact of the federal government’s refusal to fully fund the food stamp program during the shutdown.
Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of unions, community groups and faith leaders, is calling on Gov. Maura Healey and legislative leaders to allocate funding from the state’s reserve fund to “prevent the worst harm from federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, education funding, and other critical programs.”
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BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led more than two dozen states Tuesday in suing the Trump administration over its refusal to fund food stamps during the federal government’s shutdown.
In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, Campbell and other Democratic attorneys general ask a federal judge to force the White House to tap emergency reserve funds to prevent roughly 42 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients from losing their food benefits beginning next week.
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Nearly 42 million Americans will not receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting Saturday, due to the ongoing government shutdown. CBS News congressional reporter Taurean Small has more.
Frozen meals served to students across the United States as part of federally-funded school breakfast and lunch programs may be contaminated with listeria and have been recalled, officials announced on Saturday.
The recall applied to approximately 91,585 pounds of prepackaged breakfast burritos and wraps, manufactured by the California company M.C.I. Foods between Sept. 17 and Oct. 14, said the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that focuses on public health regulations.
Its announcement cited seven different types of frozen breakfast products that could be tainted. They are distributed to low-income students around the country as part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, which the Department of Agriculture administers. The breakfast program served more than 14 million children in 2016, and close to 30 million children participated in the lunch program in 2019, according to the department.
There are no confirmed reports of illnesses tied to the recalled products, which include burritos and wraps sold by the brands El Mas Fino, Los Cabos and Midamar and contain egg, cheese and various meats like beef, ham, sausage and turkey, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The agency said it recalled those products after the manufacturer discovered listeria while conducting routine testing on egg ingredients from its external suppliers.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in institutional refrigerators of freezers,” said the agency. “Institutions are urged not to serve these products. These products should be thrown away.”
Listeria is an infection caused by bacteria of the same name that spreads through food. Fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, confusion, loss of balance and a range of gastrointestinal problems are some of the symptoms brought on by the illness, according to the Mayo Clinic. The clinic warns that pregnant women, newborns, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of developing a harmful infection.
People can be infected with listeria without becoming seriously ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has estimated that listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., with 1,250 people contracting the infection and 172 dying from the infection each year.
Public health officials note that flu-like symptoms caused by listeria can signal an “invasive” infection, meaning one that has spread from the gastrointestinal tract, where symptoms may start, to other parts of the body. These invasive infections typically develop within two months of eating contaminated food, according to the CDC.
A key ingredient for the quintessential Minnesota hot dish recipe keeps going higher and higher in price, giving people sticker shock at butcher shops and grocery stores.
Quality cuts at competitive prices have kept customers coming back to Ready Meats in Minneapolis for nearly 80 years. But it’s a business model that’s getting tougher to navigate.
“It’s kind of crazy to think of when I started 20 years ago that prices seemed so low and so manageable,” said owner Ryan Nalezny. “Now it’s kind of a scary time where prices are so high that we have to keep a closer eye on it.”
He’s talking specifically about ground beef prices. His shop is selling it at $7.09 per pound.
“I think we tried to keep it under $6 per pound about a year ago,” he said.
In August 2024, Americans were paying about $5.58 per pound for ground beef, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. But this August, it jumped to $6.32 a pound. Overall, beef prices have risen nearly 14% since this time last year.
So why are ground beef prices so high?
“Our suppliers are just kind of telling us that the cattle supplies are a little bit smaller and then the demand for beef is still quite high,” Nalezny said.
Michael Swanson, an agriculture economist with Wells Fargo, echoed those sentiments.
“People love [ground beef], so there’s great demand for it,” Swanson said. “And we have fewer cattle and people are having to spend more to buy those cattle to turn it into that ground beef.”
In 1975, the number of beef cattle in the U.S. peaked at 47.5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Today, there’s just under 28 million, the lowest number since the 1960s.
What is leading to fewer herds right now? Swanson said cattle farmers have struggled to make money on the livestock in the past decade. Drought conditions since 2021 stifled grass growth, which feeds cows. Swanson said those factors forced farmers to shrink their herds, leading to fewer calves being born.
“It’s a chain reaction that has many years of consequences,” Swanson said.
Other factors impacting prices include the higher cost of feed and tariffs on beef imports.
“We are noticing more people buying pork and chicken as well, but they still want their beef,” Nalezny said.
“In fact, Americans will eat more beef this year than last year at record prices,” Swanson said.
That high demand, coupled with low supply, is a boon for cattle ranchers — but it’s leaving butchers and their customers a little lean in the wallet.
“We’re trying not to raise the prices every week. We’re keeping a close eye on it,” Nalezny said.
The USDA projections suggest the price of beef could shoot even higher in 2026. Derrell Peel, a professor in the department of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, said it will be several years before prices level off.
“We’re going to be in a tight-supply situation, in an elevated-price situation for the next two to three years, probably to the rest of the decade,” Peel told CBS News in July.
Minnesota’s dairy herds have been declared to be currently unaffected by the bird flu virus, the United States Department of Agriculture reported after months of sampling.
The monitoring will continue until all 50 states reach the status of “unaffected.” Currently, the agency says herds are affected in Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada and Idaho.
Both Wisconsin and Iowa are listed under “Provisional Unaffected,” meaning they are still going through milk testing to determine if the state’s herds are unaffected.
If H5N1 is found in a herd, a case manager will help the farm with responding, including quarantining and follow-up testing, according to the USDA.
Just under a year after California began contending with a spread of invasive fruit flies not seen before in such large quantities, state and federal environmental officials announced that the pests had been eradicated statewide.
Invasive species of wild fruit flies from other parts of the world were detected in unusually high quantities in 2023 across California, a state where agriculture is a vital industry. Because these types of flies can damage or destroy hundreds of varieties of crops, officials took comprehensive action to stop them from multiplying rapidly and causing massive damage. The United States Department of Agriculture said it coordinated with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to address the outbreak, and together they successfully addressed infestations that touched various counties and involved five different species of fruit fly.
The insects – Oriental, Tau, Queensland, Mexican, and Mediterranean – originated in a range of places around the globe, including countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as some native to Hawaii. The most common route for them from their origin sites to California would be through contaminated produce brought back illegally to the U.S. by travelers, or homegrown produce that germinated elsewhere and was sent to California, CBS San Francisco reported last year.
“Invasive fruit flies are among the most destructive and costly pests globally, threatening more than 400 species of fruits and vegetables, including many of California’s most valuable crops such as oranges, grapes, mangoes, blueberries and tomatoes,” said Jenny Moffitt, the undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, in a statement.
Officials instituted quarantine zones for agricultural areas across California when the non-native insects were first spotted in the state in 2023. Those quarantines — which had been active in Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, San Diego, Riverside and Ventura Counties — were finally lifted with the eradication announcement. That means thousands of acres worth of commercial agricultural land will no longer operate under restrictions brought in response to the fruit fly outbreak, they said.
Properties within former quarantine zones had to comply with safety requirements set out by the state to ensure the pests did not multiply. Some of the rules that the state prescribed were prohibiting farmers from packing crops that could “host” any of the invasive fruit flies, and outlining specific instructions for properly processing and disposing of crops that could be hosts.
(1/2) APHIS, CDFA and CACASA have won the battle against 5 invasive fruit fly species in California removing all fruit fly quarantines! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/cmzHxxMPdW
— USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (@USDA_APHIS) August 28, 2024
The USDA described last year’s outbreak as “unprecedented,” and called it the worst infestation of invasive fruit flies that California had seen in at least a century. The quarantines ordered due to the Tau flies and Queensland fruit flies discovered in parts of California were the first of their kind in the Western Hemisphere, according to the USDA.
Citing the California agricultural department, CBS Los Angeles reported that Mediterranean fruit flies could potentially target more than 250 kinds of fruits and vegetables. They typically damage fruits by laying eggs that become maggots and tunnel through the produce, which spoils it.
Millions of sterile Mediterranean and Mexican fruit flies were released into California environments that faced infestations, in hopes of interrupting the reproduction processes of the others. Meanwhile, hundreds of employees with the USDA’s animal and plant health inspection service joined California environmental officers to trap and remove the invasive flies from agricultural lands, while also surveying the species for the year to confirm those efforts were working.
In October, officials bombarded quarantined parts of Los Angeles and Culver City with more than 2 million sterilized fruit flies after officials identified two wild Mediterranean fruit flies in that area, CBS Los Angeles reported. Back then, the quarantine area covered almost 70 square miles and included growers, wholesalers and retailers of susceptible fruit within those boundaries, in addition to private residents who tended to at-home gardens.
“The eradication of these pests marks a major victory for California’s agricultural economy,” said Moffitt.
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
A food distributor in Pennsylvania is recalling about eight tons of ground beef because the meat might contain E. coli.
Packages of the beef, produced last month by Cargill Meat Solutions, were shipped to Walmart locations nationwide, according to a recall notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There have been no confirmed reports of anyone being harmed from eating the beef, the agency said.
Officials at Cargill Meat reported the possible contamination “after they identified that previously segregated product had been inadvertently utilized in the production of ground beef,” the recall states.
Cargill Meat told CBS MoneyWatch in an email that it reported the incident “out of an abundance of caution,” adding that the meat was shipped to Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.
E. coli is a potentially deadly bacteria that often causes dehydration, bloody stool and stomach cramps in humans. The bacteria typically strikes three or four days after a person consumes food tainted with E. coli. Most people recover from exposure within a week, the USDA said, but some who get infected — particularly children — can suffer from kidney failure.
The recalled beef from Cargill was shipped in six forms, according to the recall. They are:
All Natural Lean Ground Beef with lot code 117 (2.25 pounds)
Prime Rib Beef Steak Burgers Patties with lot code 118 (1.33 pounds)
Fat All Natural Angus Premium Ground Beef with lot code 117 (2.25 pounds)
Fat All Natural Ground Beef Chuck with lot code 118 (2.25 pounds)
Fat All Natural Ground Beef Chuck Patties with lot code 118 (1.33 pounds)
Fat All Natural Good Beef Sirloin Patties with lot code 118 (1.33 pounds)
Cargill Meat Solutions has recalled more than 16,000 pounds of ground beef because it might contain E. coli. The above label shows one of six different beef variations that could contain the bacteria.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
All six forms have a USDA mark of inspection on the front of its packaging and establishment number “EST. 86P” on the back, according to the recall. Customers who have purchased the beef products should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Anyone with questions about the recall can contact Cargill at 1-844-419-1574.
The Cargill announcement marks the second major beef recall this year due to an E. coli risk. The USDA in January recalled nearly 7,000 pounds of ground beef from producer Valley Meats of Illinois. Those products were shipped regionally to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
More Details Regarding The Findings Related To Lunchables
According to a report published by the consumer advocacy group on Tuesday, April 9, tests ran on “12 store-bought versions of Lunchables and similar kits” revealed that they contain “relatively high levels of lead, cadmium, and sodium.”
Additionally, the group discovered that Lunchable kits served in schools contain “even higher levels of sodium” than those sold in grocery stores.
Consumer Reports that out of the 12 kits tested, only one didn’t test positive for phthalates. Furthermore, the organization notes that phthalates are the “chemicals found in plastic.” Phthalates have reportedly been “linked to reproductive problems, diabetes, and certain cancers.”
According to the report, the kit that didn’t test positive for phthalates was the Lunchables Extra Cheesy Pizza.
Here’s Why The Meal Kit Should Reportedly Be Removed From School Menus
Brian Ronholm, the director of food policy at Consumer Reports, shared a statement about why Lunchables should be removed from school menus.
“Lunchables are not a healthy option for kids and shouldn’t be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” Ronholm asserted. “The Lunchables and similar lunch kits we tested contain concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals that can lead to serious health problems over time. The USDA should remove Lunchables from the National School Lunch Program and ensure that kids in schools have healthier options.”
The report explains that the USDA currently allows two Lunchable kits to be served in schools. The kits reportedly include the Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza.
Furthermore, Consumer Reports adds that the kits are served to almost 30 million kids “through the National School Lunch Program.” Additionally, the organization notes that sodium levels in the kits range from “460 to 740 milligrams per serving.
The level is reportedly “nearly a quarter to half of a child’s daily recommended limit for sodium.”
The report states, “The school version of the Turkey and Cheddar Lunchable contained 930 mg of sodium compared to 740 mg in the store-bought version. Similarly, the Lunchable pizza kit for schools had 700 mg of sodium compared to 510 mg in the store version.”
Lastly, the report notes that eating foods with high sodium “can lead to high blood pressure and lead to hypertension.” Children who intake higher levels of sodium “are about 40 percent more likely to develop hypertension.”
Furthermore, Consumer Reports notes that hypertension is a “risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage.”
Consumer Reports Take Action As Lunchables & The USDA Shares Statement
Ultimately, the organization has launched a petition encouraging the USDA to take action and remove meal kits from school menus. To date, the campaign has received over 15,000 signatures.
Furthermore, the group is striving to garner over 25,000 signatures.
According to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Lunchables has issued a statement defending the nutritional quality of the meal kits.
“All our foods meet strict safety standards that we happily feed to our own families. We are proud of Lunchables and stand by the quality and integrity that goes into making them,” the statement reads. “According to current science, processed foods arbitrarily classified as ‘ultra-processed’ are not necessarily less nutritious. In fact, many processed foods contain added nutrients, providing even more benefits to the consumer. The classification of foods should be based on scientific evidence that includes an assessment of the nutritional value of the whole product, not restricted to one element such as a single ingredient or the level of processing.”
Additionally, the USDA shared a statement with the outlet.
“USDA takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure school meals are of the highest nutritional quality,” the statement reads. “…Importantly, USDA doesn’t allow or disallow individual food items. Our requirements address the overall content of meals – some of them on a daily basis and others on a weekly basis. So, the Lunchables described in the article would need to be paired with fruit, vegetables, and milk. In addition, a school who wanted to serve a higher sodium product one day has to balance that with lower sodium items on others. Many schools are taking steps to use more scratch-cooked and local foods, and USDA has supported these efforts through expanded grants for equipment, training, and local food procurement.”
Elkhorn Valley Packing is recalling 1.7 tons of ground beef after a sample from the Kansas-based meat packer tested positive for E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday.
The notice said that more than 3,400 pounds of the boneless beef chuck was packaged on Feb. 16 and shipped to retail and wholesale locations, including hotels and restaurants, as well as distributors and federal establishments, in the following nine states:
Connecticut
Illinois
Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
USDA officials have urged consumers not to eat the recalled meat.
“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the USDA said in the statement.
E. coli is a bacteria that may cause foodborne illnesses in children and adults. The recalled products tested positive for an E. coli strain called STEC O103, which may cause vomiting and diarrhea, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The USDA has made a list of the affected package serial numbers available on its website. No consumers have reported illnesses linked to the recalled meat, according to the agency.
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