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Aala Meat Market
recalls ham products

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Aala Meat Market Inc. has voluntarily recalled about 270 pounds of ham that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that products subject to recall are "Aala Meat Market Inc." brand "Sliced Chopped Ham," "Sliced Luncheon Meat" and "Lean Cooked Ham" in six- to 40-pound packages.

Package labels bear "EST. 12425" inside the USDA seal of inspection and date codes "6-1-00" to "6-10-00." The ham was produced from June 1 through June 10 and distributed to restaurants in Honolulu, the announcement said.

"We did a voluntary recall," said Patrick Uyematsu, operations manager, Aala Meat Market. "I'm not sure how many pounds came back yet."

But Uyematsu saw little real danger. "Listeria is killed by cooking, and all my customers cook their products," he said.

The USDA has received no reports of illness associated with consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician, it said.

The USDA announcement said consumers may wish to ask at establishments where they buy meals containing ham if the establishment received any of the recalled products.

"Because of the potential for foodborne illness, we want consumers to be aware of the recall," said Thomas J. Billy, a USDA administrator.

The problem was discovered through routine Food Safety and Inspection Service microbiological sampling, the USDA said.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may cause listeriosis, a rare but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. Listeriosis may cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, the USDA said.

The disease also may cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weak immune systems -- infants, the frail or elderly and persons with chronic disease with HIV infection or individuals undergoing chemotherapy.