WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Fresh Express, Inc. is recalling multiple branded and private label fresh salad products for fear of potential contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes, a deadly bacteria, the Food & Drug Administration said in a statement.
The recall involves twenty fresh salad items with product codes Z324 through Z350 of Fresh Express as well as Bowl and Basket brands that were produced at the company's Streamwood, Illinois facility. The recall includes all Use-By Dates of these fresh salad items. No other Fresh Express products are subject to recall.
The recalled salad items were distributed through retailers in 19 U.S. states in the Northeast and Midwest regions as well as distributors and retailers in Canada, which includes the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
The company said the recall was necessitated after the Michigan Department of Agriculture received a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test of a single package of Fresh Express 9 oz. Sweet Hearts salad mix with Use-By Date of December 8, 2021, manufactured at the Fresh Express Streamwood facility.
The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported ten illnesses associated with the strain of Listeria monocytogenes detected in the random sample beginning in 2016 to the present.
The company has urged consumers who have the recalled products in their refrigerators to discard it and not consume it. They can receive a refund on return to the seller.
Meanwhile, Fresh Express has immediately halted all production at the Streamwood facility and initiated a complete sanitation review.
Consuming food contaminated with listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The symptoms of listeriosis include, fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2021 AFX News
