
A Listeria outbreak triggered a huge voluntary recall of frozen fruits and vegetables in all 50 states.
About 350 products sold under 42 separate brands were recalled at four major retailers in all 50 states over fears that they may be contaminated with Listeria. The voluntary recall came after seven people were rushed to the hospital, of whom two died.
The foods were recalled by CRF Frozen Foods, a primary frozen fruit and vegetable supplier for grocery chains like Wal-Mart, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Jewel-Osco. The company announced that only the products that were processed at its Pasco, Wash., plant starting May 1, 2014, were recalled.
The huge recall comes after CRF Frozen Foods’ less impressive voluntary recall of 15 products last week. Reportedly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has contacted the company telling it that seven people in three states got sick after consuming its products.
CDC investigators suspect that a Listeria infection may be behind the hospitalizations. Two of the seven people died, the agency reported. The sick patients were between 56 and 86 years old, doctors said.
Listeriosis is a food-borne infection that affects people who consume products contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The diseases affected especially people with compromised or weak immune systems including the elderly, pregnant women, and newborns.
CRF recently apologized for the inconvenience of the latest recall and urged buyers who have in their homes the recalled products not to eat them.
The company explained that hazardous products have a Best by or Sell by date between Apr. 26, 2016 and Apr. 26, 2018.
Customers can get a refund at the stores they bought the products from or simply discard them. The 350 recalled products include frozen fruits and vegetables both organic and nonorganic including frozen potatoes, stir fry casseroles, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, onions, leeks, Italian beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, and many more.
You can check whether you should throw away a suspicious item in your freezer by checking the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
Experts caution that listeriosis is the most lethal foodborne disease. While healthy people can keep the infection in check, it usually kills one in five people if it gets into the blood stream.
Seniors aged 65 or more have a fourfold risk of getting infected than young adults while pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get sick and transmit the infection to their babies.
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