California-based Wawona Packing Company has expanded its recall of fruits in the U.S. and Canada owing to probable listeria contamination.
Initially, on July 19, the company voluntarily recalled nearly 16,345 pounds of plums, yellow and white peaches, pluots, yellow and white nectarines that were shipped to wholesalers and retailers from its various warehouses in Cutler between July 1 and July 12. Now Wawona Packing is also recalling products that were packed in its facility between June 1 and July 17 this year.
It is feared that the products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which causes infections.
"The recalled products include the following brands marketed to consumers: Sweet 2 Eat, Sweet 2 Eat Organic, Mrs. Smittcamp's, and are also packed in private labels. These brands will be on the boxes or on the stickers placed on individual fruit. Anyone who has the recalled products in their possession should not consume them and should discard them," notes a release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For the uninitiated, Listeria can cause listerial gastroenteritis which is not very severe. However, invasive listeriosis can cause a severe blood infection in individuals. The Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can also affect pregnant women, young children, those suffering from chronic ailments and the aged, causing severe illnesses.
The symptoms include muscle pains, diarrhea, headaches, flu-like fever, convulsions, balance loss, stiff necks and confusion. However, only a blood test or a spinal tap can determine if the individual has contracted a Listeria infection. Moreover, to determine if the infection was caused by eating a fruit from Wawona Packing is only possible via a pulsed field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genetic test conducted on the bacteria.
The list of recalled products (including the UPC and PLU numbers and package size) can be viewed at the CFIA website here. The images of all the recalled products can be viewed here. Wawona Packing also lists [pdf] the recalled products and the relevant information here.
Consumers who wish to get a refund should save the receipt and contact the store from where the product was purchased. For any queries consumers can contact the company's information desk at 1-888-232-9912 (weekdays 8am-11pm EST or 8am-8pm EST on weekends).
