Recall of the Week: Dole leafy green products due to possible Listeria contamination
January 24, 2016
Twelve people infected with Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from six states since July 5, and one them, a person from Michigan has died.
Five of the ill people reported eating packaged salad in the month before becoming ill. Two reported eating different varieties of Dole brand packaged salads.
Tests showed the bagged salad was produced at the Springfield, Ohio, Dole processing plant. Brands of packaged salads produced there include Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar, and President's Choice Organics.
The packaged salads can be identified by the letter "A" at the beginning of the manufacturing code found on the package.
Consumers shouldn’t eat any of the withdrawn products and should check their homes for these leafy green products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
There isn’t any evidence at this time that packaged salads produced at other Dole processing plants in the United States are linked to illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Although the investigation began in September, the source of illness wasn't known until January when laboratory result from packaged salad collected in Ohio linked the illnesses to the Dole plant in Springfield.
The number of ill people reported from each state is: Indiana, 1; Massachusetts, 1; Michigan, 4; New Jersey, 1; New York, 4; and Pennsylvania, 1.
Dates of Listeria specimen collection range from July 5 to Dec. 23.
Ill people in the outbreak range in age from 3 years to 83. Sixty-nine percent are female.
On Jan. 21, Dolehttp://www.cdc.gov/Other/disclaimer.html reported to the CDC that it had stopped all production at the Springfield plant. The company also reported that it’s withdrawing all packaged salads currently on the market that were produced at this facility.
The investigation is continuing.
Listeria can cause a serious, life-threatening illness. It can be fatal in certain high-risk groups such as the elderly and people with weakened immune systems and chronic medical conditions including cancer. In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.
Anyone who has fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea, or develops fever and chills while pregnant after eating any of the products listed above should seek medical care. They should tell the health care provider about eating the potentially contaminated leafy greens.
Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after eating the contaminated food.
For further information, call the Dole Food Co. Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111.
For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.
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