Listeria Contamination Prompts Recall of Sabra Hummus
Approximately 30,000 cases of Sabra Classic Hummus have been recalled by Sabra Dipping Co., LLC for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Five SKUs of Classic Hummus, sold nationwide, are covered by this recall. Sabra Dipping says that no other hummus is affected by this recall, and, to date, the company has received no reports of illnesses attributed to the hummus. The recall announcement is posted on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
According to the recall announcement, the potential Listeria contamination was discovered through routine testing of a random sample collected on March 30th, 2015 by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in those at highest risk: young children, frail or elderly people, and any individual with a weakened immune system. Otherwise healthy people usually suffer only short-term symptoms including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, but listeriosis can be serious enough to require hospitalization and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recently, three patients at a Kansas hospital died, and others became ill, after consuming Listeria-contaminated Blue Bell ice cream. The company recalled products distributed in nearly half the country and has suspended manufacturing operations at its Oklahoma plant, which produced 3-oz. food service cups of chocolate ice cream that tested positive for Listeria.
The recalled Classic Hummus is packaged in various sizes, with Best Before dates of May 11 and May 15, 2015. The FDA says that consumers who have any of the affected hummus on hand should dispose of the product or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For questions about the recall, consumers should call Sabra toll free 1-888-957-2272, Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time.
The CDC estimates that about 48 million Americans—about one in six—have a food-borne illness each year. About 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die of these illnesses, though the CDC says it is difficult to determine exact figures because many people do not seek treatment and are not tested for the cause of the illness. In 2010, to address concerns about the safety of the food supply, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, giving the FDA new authority to take actions to prevent outbreaks. But a shortfall in funding has hampered the full implementation of the new safety measures. The Congressional Budget Office calculated that the FDA would need $580 million for this from 2011 to 2015, but Congress appropriated less than half that amount, the New York Times reports. The FDA proposed user fees to cover much of the cost of carrying out the law’s provisions, but Congress rejected such fees after lobbying by the food industry, leaving food-safety programs underfunded.
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