Do YOU have any of these pre-made salads in your fridge? Throw them in the trash NOW

Two major salad kit makers have pulled some of their products from store shelves out of concern that they may be contaminated with Listeria.

Fresh Express announced a voluntary recall of three kits in particular on Friday, all of which had already gone past their sell-by dates by the time the recall was issued. While they are no longer in stores, they could still be in consumers’ refrigerators. All have product code G075.

Michigan-based Revolution Farms expanded its voluntary recall last week to include all products sold under its brand name.

In both cases, the voluntary recalls were announced after random testing on samples of one of each company’s products at different distribution locations yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes, a species of bacteria that causes a rare but very serious food-borne illness.

The affected Fresh Express products were sold in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The recalled Revolution Farms products were sold in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.

The Fresh Express recall of a ‘limited quantity of three varieties of already-expired’ products was done out of an abundance of caution due to a possible contamination with Listeria

The recall was initiated when it was learned a random sample test of a single salad kit with a Use-By Date of March 31, 2023 collected by the Georgia Department of Agriculture yielded a positive result for the Listeria pathogen

The recall was initiated when the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development received a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test of a package of Revolution Farms Green Sweet Crisp 5 oz. Retail with Best By date of April 2, 2023

The Revolution Farms recall was voluntarily expanded on April 6, 2023, when the recalled product was epidemiologically linked with a multi-state outbreak of Listeriosis

Spotting instances of dangerous pathogens in circulating products is the purview of the Food and Drug Adminsitration. Earlier this year, the agency announced sweeping recalls of more than 400 pre-made food items in stores across the country that were feared to have been contaminated with Listeria.

In leading up to the Fresh Express recall, a sample of a salad kit collected by the Georgia Department of Agriculture returned evidence of the Listeria pathogen on March 31.

Revolution Farms announced its voluntary recall on April 5 after the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development found evidence of the pathogen in a random sample test of a package of Revolution Farms Green Sweet Crisp 5 oz. Retail with Best By date of April 2, 2023.

The company then noted that the recalled product may have played a role in a multistate outbreak of Listeriosis, the infection caused by the Listeria bacterium, and extended the voluntary recall to cover more products across a wide range of grocery stores.

Listeriosis typically comes on after a person has eaten contaminated foods, most commonly among them are hot dogs and deli meats, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, especially melons, and unpasteurized dairy products.

The pathogen is unique among others that cause food-borne illnesses in that it thrives in low temperatures, such as inside a refrigerator, and can multiply to dangerous levels during storage.

Anyone can get listeriosis, but infection is most dangerous in seniors, people with weak or compromised immune systems, pregnant women, and developing fetuses.

Symptoms of infection typically include those that look somewhat like the flu – chills, fever, achiness, nausea and vomiting. 

But within those specific groups, infection can prove fatal. For instance, Listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and death in newborn babies without timely treatment.

Even with adequate antibiotic treatment, the disease has a high mortality rate of up to 30 percent. 

And over 90 percent of people with listeriosis are hospitalized, often in intensive care units.

In the US, an estimated 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year, and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No illnesses linked to the recalled products have been reported yet. 

But the CDC is currently investigating a Listeria outbreak based on sick people’s samples collected as far back as July 2018. 

As of February 15, 2023, the CDC has reported a total of 11 people infected with the outbreak strain. 

That total is likely an undercount, though, as some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.