By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, Mo. – ConAgra Foods has voluntarily recalled all of its Banquet pot pies and store brand varieties after they were linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak.
The company issued a consumer alert earlier in the week, and asked stores to stop selling the chicken and turkey pies. However ConAgra stopped short of a recall until now.
There are now 13 cases of salmonella in Missouri believed to be linked to pot pies made at ConAgra's plant in Marshall, Mo.
So far, only two people in Missouri have been ill enough to be hospitalized.
Nancy Gondor, with the Department of Health and Senior Services, said salmonella symptoms appear 12 to 72 hours after infection, and include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.
"Some cases can be more severe," Gondor said. "You could have dehydration and problems like that. If people are very ill, we certainly recommend that they contact their health care provider."
Federal health officials are investigating 139 salmonella cases in 30 states that may have been caused by pot pies from the ConAgra plant in Marshall.
"If people have Banquet brand and generic store brand pot pies, they should look at the code that's printed on the side of the package. If the code ends in 'P9,' we are recommending that consumers not consume these pot pies, and really just go ahead and destroy them."
Anyone suffering from salmonella symptoms who has consumed a Banquet or store brand pot pie is being asked to inform his or her doctor about it.
To request a refund by mail, send the side panel of the package containing the location code "P9" to the following address:
ConAgra Foods
Dept. BQPP
P.O. Box 3768
Omaha, NE 68103-0768
Anyone with questions can call ConAgra's toll-free number, (866) 484-8671.
For more information via the Internet:
ConAgra Foods, Inc.: conagrafoods.com
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov