Most meals did not test positive for listeria after possible contamination at Philadelphia schools

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The School District of Philadelphia said most served to students did not test positive for listeria after fears that thousands of students were served meals that were possibly contaminated.

The district informed families last Friday that meals served to thousands of Pre-K and K-12 students across nearly 200 schools were subject to a nationwide food recall.

According to the USDA, the recall originates in Oklahoma. A supplier, BrucePac, has recalled nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

Luckily, the district said most of the suspected meals did not test positive for listeria, even though they were produced in the same facility.

"Whitsons' Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Penne, Chicken Strips Honey Mustard Green Beans, and Chicken Caribbean Pineapple Sauce Rice Carrots served between September 23, 2024, and October 10, 2024, were not among the suspected meals that tested positive, though they were produced in the same facility during the focused time frame," the district said in a followup letter to families on Thursday.

However, the results did not account for a barbecue chicken meal served on September 23 but the district did note that none of the students reported getting sick.

The school district removed all of the items from school meal services out of an abundance of caution.

"Your child will not be served items from the affected batch of Whitsons' products moving forward," said Oz Hill, Interim Deputy Superintendent of Operations for the School District of Philadelphia. "Our top priority is the health and safety of our students, as we remain committed to providing safe and nutritious meals."

The school district said impacted meals and dates are as follows for Pre-K students:

• Chicken and broccoli Alfredo served on October 8.

• Chicken Strips Honey Mustard Green Bean and Chicken Caribbean Pineapple Sauce Rice Carrots served between October 4 and 10.

For K-12 students:

• Chicken with BBQ Sauce Rice Baked Beans Served on September 23.

The CDC says listeria infection is rare but can be serious, especially for compromised groups. But for non-vulnerable populations, risks are low.

"Very rarely is somebody who is 2 to 50, I think it's even 60, who is healthy, that's going to have severe illness," Skrzynski said.

RELATED: What is Listeria? What to know about the bacteria that can cause listeriosis

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Dr. Angela Skrzynski with Virtua Health says symptoms may be flu-like but may not appear until days or weeks later.

"You may not even know you had a listeria ingestion. You're going to think you have flu or COVID-19, and you're going to test negative for those things, and you're going to recover and go along with your life, thank goodness," Skrzynski said.

"If you have any questions, please contact recallnotification101024@philasd.org or call 215-400-5600," Hill said.

The Philadelphia Department of Health says there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions locally, the USDA says the same nationwide.

For a list of impacted schools, click here.