A California company has voluntarily recalled packaged vegetables distributed throughout the US and Canada over concerns that the products were contaminated with the infectious listeria.
The vegetables were packaged for distribution by Mann Packing for brands sold at Albertsons, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and 10 California whole Foods locations.
Mann Packing of Salinas says there have been no reported illnesses associated with the products. The recall was ordered last week after random testing in Canada turned up a single positive result for listeria.
Nevertheless, it has rolled out a recall applies to stores all across the US and Canada, but because they were marked ‘best if used’ between October 11 and October 20, consumers may have already purchased and eaten the recalled foods.
Mann’s Power Blend salad (left), sold at Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s Kohlrabi salad blend (right) have both been recalled due to fears of a possible listeria contamination
At Target, 14 prepackaged grocery products have been recalled. Trader Joe’s has recalled its $2.50 Kohlrabi salad blend, and is offering a refund for any customers that return the mix. Whole Foods has recalled salads, including Mann’s Veggie Power Blend, Sesame Chicken Power Salad, and Mexican Chicken Power Salad from 10 of its California stores.
Many of the affected products are or include packaged broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, though some stores also list hummus and meat and cheese products.
Listeria is a bacterium that has most commonly been found in meat and dairy products. It can cause food poisoning in humans, especially children and sick or elderly people whose immune systems are not as strong as those of healthy adults.
Infection with listeria can cause violent illness, but is quite common. There are about 1,600 cases each year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of these, about 260 are fatal.
Mann Packing has recalled a number of its prepackaged vegetables after the company found one instance of listeria contamination in Canada. Prepackaged vegetables are at higher risk of listeria contamination than unpackaged produce
The bacterium grows best in in warmer temperatures, but is one of the few that can continue to proliferate at refrigerator temperatures and is known to be common in pre-packaged foods.
Hot dogs and deli meats caught media attention in the 1990s for being the culprits of a series of listeria outbreaks across the US.
Listeria infection is usually marked by fever and diarrhea, but often goes undiagnosed because these symptoms are so common place.
More serious, invasive listeria infections can cause headache, stiff neck, balance issues and convulsions and usually don’t become apparent until anywhere from one week to 70 days after eating the contaminated food.
Pregnant women need to be especially aware of listeria contamination, as an infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. In pregnant woman, the infection presents with flu-like symptoms.
Mann Packing’s director of marketing, Gina Nucci, said in a statement that, ‘as a mom, I work hard every day to ensure that our products are safe for our kids and our families, which is why we made the choice to take this very cautious approach and recall our products.’