White meat lovers might want to pause before cooking and eating the chicken in their freezer.

About 278 people in 18 states are sick with salmonella linked to chicken mostly sold in California, Oregon and Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA stated in a public health alert that the outbreak is continuing, and three Foster Farms facilities are the likely sources of raw chicken contaminated with salmonella Heidelberg. Unfortunately, it has been impossible to link the outbreak to a specific product and a specific production period, so a recall has not been announced. However, consumers can identify if the products they purchased came from the three Foster Farms facilities by looking for these packaging codes: P6137, P6137A and P7632.

Those sickened with salmonella might experience diarrhea, cramps, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting approximately three days after ingesting foods with high levels of bacteria.

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