Three people in Minnesota got severely ill from salmonella after consuming frozen chicken supplied by Aspen foods. The Department of Agriculture issued notice that Aspen Foods will recall nearly two million pounds of frozen chicken products.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the recall included breaded, raw stuffed chicken breasts that were manufactured from April 15 to July 10.

The varieties of food that could have been infected by salmonella include cordon bleu, broccoli and cheese, chicken Kiev, chicken parmesan and buffalo-style. Packages that have been recalled can be identified by the code 'P-1358' in the U.S.D.A.'s inspection mark.

Aspen's recall follows a move by Barber Foods, which expanded its own poultry recall on Sunday to 1.7 million pounds of frozen, raw stuffed chicken products because of reports of salmonella contamination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seven people in the state fell ill after consuming the Barber products. The CDC previously had confirmed six cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin and also found a seventh case in Oklahoma.

Dr. Matthew Wise, head of CDC's outbreak response team, said in a statement that breaded chicken products can be problematic because consumers often mistakenly think that they are cooked.

Koch Foods, which owns Aspen Foods, said in a statement that it was cooperating with the federal agencies and has even instructed its customers to return the recalled items for refunds.

According to experts, the salmonella bacteria are most commonly found in poultry, but can often be killed at temperatures of 165 degrees.

"I don't think that in this outbreak we've seen quite as much evidence of improper cooking of the product than we have in past outbreaks", he added.