Dale and Thomas Popcorn, a gourmet popcorn retailer, just issued a recall of some of its bags of popcorn over potential contamination with the Listeria monocytogenes pathogen.
The recall involves more than two dozen different flavors of ready-to-eat “Popcorn, Indiana” brand, sold in array of sizes in red bags, said ABC Local. Each bag bears a “Best By” date between February 4, 2012 and March 12 of 2013.
Dale and Thomas urges customers in possession of the recalled popcorn to either return the popcorn to the place of purchase or discard it. A complete list of the recalled popcorn products may be accessed on the Dale and Thomas web site here.
Dale and Thomas has set up a dedicated recall telephone line and email. The toll-free telephone line can be reached at 1.866.940.7936, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). The dedicated email can be accessed at Recall@DaleAndThomasPopcorn.com.
The Listeria pathogen is unique because it thrives in colder temperatures, such as those found in refrigerated environments. Listeria also has an unusually long incubation period—up to 70 days—according to experts. The pathogen also well tolerates heat and dry temperatures, adding further challenges to the pathogen’s eradication and length to expected reporting time frames.
Listeriosis, the food borne disease caused by the Listeria pathogen, is dangerous and can be deadly, causing serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In pregnant women,
Listeriosis can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth of a baby suffering from the infection. Pregnant women are about 20 times likelier than others to be infected, with about one-third of all Listeriosis cases occurring during pregnancy. Listeriosis can also kill fetuses, prompt premature births, and can lead to hearing loss or brain damage in newborns and neurological effects and cardio respiratory failure in adults.
