Thirty-thousand cases of fresh-cut vegetables are being recalled by Country Fresh, LLC., a Texas company, on potential listeria contamination.
About 45 varieties of fresh pre-cut vegetables were announced to be recalled by Country Fresh on Friday, Aug. 26, on possible listeria contamination. The products under recall are either packed in Styrofoam trays with plastic wrap or clear plastic containers.
According to the announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the products are marked best for use from Aug. 7 to Aug. 19. As a matter of fact, the company's recall notice came a week after the expiration dates. Consumers who bought the veggies would have either used them or have already thrown them away. However, the company has promised a full refund for the product to people who return them in respective shops.
The products with Country Fresh brand labels are shipped to eight retailers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Publix, Walmart and Winn Dixie are three of the eight renowned retailers that sell the products. The recall comes as a routine sample test on the product in one of the stores by Georgia Department of Agriculture tested positive for listeria.
"We are treating this incident very seriously because we want to ensure that our customers are provided with only the safest, most wholesome, and high-quality products available," Max Payen, Country Fresh's Director of Food Safety, said of the voluntary recall.
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, food poisoning in humans. The food-borne infection usually affects newborns, pregnant women and elderly people. The symptoms of listeriosis include diarrhea, nausea, fever and muscle pain. An infected person may experience stiff neck, headache, confusion, convulsions and loss of balance if the infection reaches the nervous system.
While listeria infection in healthy adults usually lasts for a few days, it can be serious in pregnant women. Infection in pregnant women can lead to premature delivery, stillbirth, infection in babies and even miscarriage. The infection in mothers may also lead to listeriosis in newborn babies.
Generally, pregnant women experience flu-like symptoms as a result of the infection. Immediate medical assistance is recommended in case of listeria infection, which can be diagnosed with the help of a blood test or spinal fluid.
Vegetables, meat and dairy products, unpasteurized milk and milk products and processed foods like cold cuts and soft cheese are some of the products that carry the bacterium as a result of contamination.
Photo: Ginny | Flickr
