Denver-Based Company Recalling Sausage

Nearly 16,000 pounds of beef and buffalo sausage marketed as Maverick Sausage have been recalled from stores in 18 states, including Michigan, because of possible contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

The U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food and Safety Inspection Service announced the recall Saturday.

Gold Star President Rick Rue said the 15,514 pounds represented a negligible amount of the company’s production. “This is the first time anything like this has been tied to our operation,” Rue said.

Rex Moore, with one of the families that markets Maverick Ranch National Meats, said the sausage had been removed from stores earlier this week. “Consumers shouldn’t have to worry but there may always be buys that there were made earlier. So they should always check the sell-by date,” he said.

He said the bacterium was found during routine testing Dec. 9. Gold Star manufactures the sausages for Maverick.

Maverick advertises that its productions are all natural-beef, have no growth promoters and no antibiotics.

The products were sold in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

Listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease, can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. No illnesses have been reported.

The Agriculture Department said the products involved were:

-One-pound packages of “Maverick Ranch Beef Franks, 6 Skinless Franks.” Each package bears a “sell by” date of “2/14/07,” “2/21/07” or “2/28/07.”

-One-pound packages of “Maverick Ranch Buffalo Franks, 6 Skinless Franks.” Each package bears a “sell by” date of “12/27/06,” “1/3/07,” “1/10/07,” “2/14/07,” “2/21/07” or “2/28/07.”

-Five-pound packages of “Beef Franks, Product Code MF55-0606-15.”