Maricopa Fry’s affected by ground turkey recall

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a voluntary recall on ground turkey produced by Cargill Value Added Meats Retail, a division of the Wichita, Kan.-based Cargill food corporation.

Local grocery stores Bashas’ and Walmart were unaffected by the recall because they do not carry Cargill ground turkey. However, Fry’s Marketplace does carry Cargill ground turkey under Kroger, its corporate name.

While some Walmart stores carry the Cargill brand, the Maricopa store only sells the Jenni-O, according to an assistant manager at the store.

About 36 million pounds are being recalled nationally due to possible contamination from Salmonella heidelberg, commonly known as food poisoning.

Common symptoms are diarrhea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps. Infants and small children are at greater risk because they can become severely dehydrated.

Fry’s corporate spokeswoman Jo Ellen Lynn said the company has issued notifications to its employees who have removed the products from the shelves.

She also said the company has sent notices to VIP card holders by an automated system.  If you use your card when you buy the turkey, the purchase is tracked electronically and you receive an automated call.

“Those that have purchased the meat can return it for a full refund and it will be destroyed,” Lynn said.   

Kroger customers should look for ground turkey products under the Honeysuckle and Kroger Ground Turkey labels with a “use or freeze by” date between Feb. 20 and Aug. 23, 2011.