Sabra Dipping Co., the maker of the best-selling brand of hummus in the United States, is voluntarily pulling some 360,000 containers of the popular dip from store shelves, following the discovery of the dangerous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes in a tested sample.
Sabra said it ordered the recall of 30,000 cases of hummus containers after the bacteria showed up in a random sample of the product tested at a retail location by a state agency in Michigan.
The recalled products had been distributed to retail outlets including supermarkets and food service accounts, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"To date, there have been no reports indicating that these products have caused any illness," the FDA said in a statement.
Consumers concerned about hummus they have purchased can find codes and use-by dates on top of the retail packages, and compare them to the recalled lots listed on the FDA website.
Listeria infection has symptoms that can include nausea, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea and severe headaches, and can be particularly dangerous to the elderly, young children and people with weakened immune systems.
A Sabra spokesman said the company was informed of the positive listeria test result on April 7, and it then put the recall order in place.
The incident closely follows another product recall initiated over Listeria worries — Blue Bell Creameries recently recalled ice cream products after they were linked to three deaths at a Kansas hospital.
The three people – who were in the hospital for other reasons – died from Listeria infections after eating Blue Bell products served as part of their hospital meals, Kansas health officials said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that five patients in Kansas and three in Texas were sickened with infections "likely linked" to Blue Bell products — although the company said in a statement this week that a link to its products has not been definitely confirmed.
Still, Blue Bell voluntarily recalled a number of products – the most recent being pints of banana pudding ice cream – produced at a company facility in Broken Arrow, Okla.
Consumers concerned about the Sabra hummus recall are urged to either discard the product or return it to where it was purchased for a refund, according to the FDA.
Consumers with questions can call a toll free number, 1-888-957-2272, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Time.
