In April, this site reported that CRF Frozen Foods will be voluntarily recalling 15 of its frozen vegetables because of a possible Listeria contamination. This week, the company announced that it will expand the recall process and will now involve frozen organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables.
With the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRF found that seven people from three U.S. states have fallen ill and was hospitalized because of Listeria, CNN reported. It was found that some of the victims became ill after consuming food products manufactured by CRF. Two people have died out of the seven reported, but it wasn't Listeria that caused their deaths, CRF said via a statement.
Symptoms And Consequences Of Listeria
Listeria occurs when a person consumes food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, according to CDC's official site. Some of the symptoms of the infection are fatigue, headache, loss of balance, fever, stiff neck and confusion. Pregnant women infected with Listeria can suffer miscarriages, premature delivery, stillbirth and with their newborns acquiring fatal infections.
Listeria can be treated with antibiotics. Those who have eaten food contaminated with Listeria but do not display any symptoms do not require tests or treatment. Experts, however, warned that people infected with Listeria can end up dead even with immediate care.
Products Affected
CRF's expanded recall includes every frozen organic and non-organic fruit and vegetables processed beginning on May 1, 2014, CNN wrote. The products—which constitute around 358 consumer goods retailed under 42 separate brands—include cherries, cranberries, strawberries, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, onions, potatoes and stir fry packets. For the complete rundown of all affected products, head to the Food and Drug Administration's official site.
Some of the brands included in CRF's expanded recall are being sold by national grocery chains with local extensions like Costco, Trader Joe's and Walmart, WCVB Boston listed. Costco is also expanding a recall in Western Canada for the frozen Organic Butternut Squash and Organic Vegetable Medley, which both came from the Organic by Nature brand, CBC.ca wrote.
CRF has apologized to their customers about the issue. The company, which is based in Pasco, Washington, said customers can return the contaminated products they bought from the store and ask for a refund.
Dole Covers Up Listeria Contamination
Aside from CRF, the Dole Food Company also recently came under fire for hiding a listeria contamination in its salad products. Food Safety News reported that Dole knew about the listeria contamination in the salad since July 2014 after conducting an internal test.
