Fresh Express is voluntarily recalling 2,825 cases of Veggie Lovers Salad with a Product Code of I208 and Use-by Date of August 10, over concerns the product could be contaminated with the dangerous, and sometimes deadly, <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/listeria">Listeria monocytogenes pathogen, the U.S. food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced.
Consumers can find the Product Code and Use-by Date in the upper right-hand corner of the package. No other Fresh Express salads are included in the recall and, to date, no illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.
Retailers and consumers who have any remaining recalled product should not consume it and are strongly urged to discard it. Consumers should check their refrigerators for the recalled Fresh Express Veggie Lovers. If they have the product, they should immediately discard it. Retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories.
Retailers and consumers with questions may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Pacific Time.
Fresh Express customer service representatives are contacting retailers and confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce. Although limited in number, cases were distributed by Fresh Express to 13 states—Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey—with the potential for redistribution by customers to Arizona; Tennessee; West Virginia; Iowa; Minnesota; Washington, DC; Virginia; Vermont; New Hampshire; Nebraska; Rhode Island; Pennsylvania; Connecticut; and Massachusetts.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause food borne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with the Listeria pathogen. Infection symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, or confusion. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.
The precautionary recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which one package of Fresh Express Veggie Lovers Salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test collected and conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Fresh Express is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. Immediately upon learning about the positive test result, Fresh Express conducted a traceability assessment and a full review of its food safety documentation, all of which were found to be in compliance and were negative for the presence of any bacteria.
