Minnesota Company Recalls Sausage That May Contain Bacteria

A Minnesota company is voluntarily recalling about 330 pounds of ready-to-eat sausage products that may contain bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said.

The agency said Earle of Sausage of Willernie, Minn., is recalling 1-pound and 6-ounce packages of Earl of Sausage Smokeys produced between Jan. 12 and March 29 and distributed through gas stations primarily in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

Each package has the establishment number “EST. 31844” inside the USDA seal of inspection and a freeze-by-date of between 5/21/07 and 7/27/07.

The FSIS said it had received no reports of illness from anyone eating the sausage.

The FSIS said symptoms of ingesting products with the staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

Consumers with questions should contact company plant manager Brian Neuser at (651) 633-1601.