Dole, Fresh Express Recall Packaged Salads
Dec. 29, 2021
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection is investigating two separate listeria outbreaks linked to packaged salads produced by Fresh Express and Dole, the agency said in a food safety alert.
Consumers who have the products at home should throw them out, and businesses should not sell them, the CDC says.
The Fresh Express recall was initiated Dec. 20 and covers salads with product codes Z324 through Z350 for all use-by dates
Recalled brands include Fresh Express, Bowl & Basket, Giant Eagle, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, O Organics, Signature Farms, Simply Nature, Weis Fresh from the Field, and Wellsley Farms Organic, the CDC said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration website has a full list of recalled Fresh Express products provided by the company.
Routine product sampling in Michigan detected listeria in a 9-ounce bag of Fresh Express Sweet Hearts Romaine Lettuce Sweet Butter Lettuce, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a news release.
Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. started its recall Dec. 22 for Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at plants in Bessemer City, N.C., and Yuma, AZ., the company said in a news release also posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.
The recalled products have lot codes beginning with the letter “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package and have used-by dates between Nov. 30, 2021, and Jan. 8, 2022.
Some of the products are sold under the Dole, Kroger, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature’s Promise, and Simply Nature labels. The FDA website has a full list of recalled Dole products.
Random sampling in Georgia and Michigan detected listeria in a Dole-branded Garden Salad from Bessemer City and a package of shredded iceberg lettuce from Yuma.
The Bessemer City and Yuma facilities are temporarily closed for extensive cleaning, Dole said in the news release.
No products from Dole plants in Springfield, OH., or Soledad, CA., are being recalled. Springfield products have production lot codes beginning with “W” and Soledad products have a “B” production code.
Listeria is a bacteria that can be found in dust, soil, animal feces, and other substances.
If you eat something carrying the bacteria, it could lead to listeria infection, one of the main causes of food poisoning.
Symptoms of listeria infection can include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Listeria infection usually doesn’t lead to serious illness if you’re healthy, though you may feel sick for a day or two.
The infection can be particularly severe for the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, and possibly life-threatening for pregnant women and their babies.
