A food processing plant in Georgia has pulled more than 13,000 pounds of ready-to-eat grilled chicken breast fillets from distribution after tests showed possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service made the announcement on Friday, classifying it as a Class I recall, which signals a high health risk. Suzanna’s Kitchen, based in Norcross, initiated the voluntary recall after a third-party lab detected the bacteria in a sample of the product.
The affected items are 10-pound cases holding two 5-pound bags of fully cooked grilled chicken breast fillets with rib meat. Look for lot code 60104 P1382 287 5 J14 printed on the side of the case and on the package itself. Each bears the establishment number P-1382 inside the USDA mark of inspection. These were produced on October 14, 2025, and sent to foodservice distribution centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Ohio. While primarily aimed at restaurants and similar operations, anyone who might have purchased or received these through secondary channels should check their freezers.
Listeria monocytogenes poses a real danger, particularly to pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems. Infections can lead to fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infections in newborns.
For the elderly and immunocompromised, it often results in serious, sometimes fatal, outcomes. The bacteria thrive in cold environments, meaning refrigeration or freezing won’t kill it—cooking to an internal temperature of 165°F is the only sure way to eliminate the risk.
So far, no confirmed cases of illness have been tied to this chicken. FSIS officials stress that anyone experiencing symptoms after eating the product should see a doctor right away. The agency is working to ensure the recalled items are removed from circulation, but they advise throwing away or returning any matching products.
This recall arrives against a backdrop of mounting listeria problems in the U.S. food supply. Just last year, a widespread outbreak linked to prepared pasta meals, including chicken fettuccine alfredo from brands like Trader Joe’s and Kroger, sickened at least 27 people across 18 states. That incident, which dragged on from June through November 2025, led to 25 hospitalizations, six deaths, and one fetal loss. The source traced back to contaminated pasta from suppliers like Nate’s Fine Foods and FreshRealm, prompting massive recalls and public health alerts.
Earlier this month, the FDA escalated a November 2025 recall of pecorino Romano cheese products from Ambriola Company to Class I status after confirming listeria presence. Brands like Locatelli, Member’s Mark, Pinna, and Boar’s Head were involved, with no illnesses reported yet, but the potential for severe harm remains.
Looking at the pattern, listeria incidents seem to be cropping up more frequently in ready-to-eat foods—items that people rely on for convenience without further cooking. The CDC tracked multiple outbreaks in 2025 alone, including one tied to ready-to-eat meats and poultry that affected several states starting in March. Another involved deli-sliced meats, adding to the tally of hospitalizations and deaths.
What’s driving this uptick? Some point to strains in the food production chain, where high-volume processing plants handle massive quantities under tight deadlines. Corners might get cut on sanitation, especially with labor shortages and rising costs pressuring smaller operations like Suzanna’s Kitchen. There’s also chatter in industry circles about whether federal inspections are keeping pace—USDA and FDA oversee thousands of facilities, but recalls like these suggest gaps in monitoring. And let’s not ignore how global supply issues, from ingredient sourcing to transportation, could introduce contaminants earlier in the process.
In the case of Suzanna’s Kitchen, this isn’t their first brush with recalls. Back in December 2025, the company pulled over 62,000 pounds of other poultry products for similar reasons, though details on that one focused on different lots. It raises questions about recurring issues at the facility—perhaps equipment cleaning protocols or raw material testing need a closer look.
For families and businesses, the message is clear: vigilance pays off. Double-check labels on frozen or ready-to-eat meats, and when in doubt, heat them thoroughly. With food prices already high and trust in the system tested by these repeated alerts, consumers deserve better assurance that what’s on the shelf is safe. If you’ve got the recalled chicken, dispose of it properly to avoid cross-contamination.
FSIS provides a hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) for questions, and their website offers updates on this and other recalls. Staying informed is the best defense against these hidden threats in our food.
