Listeria Outbreak Leads to Massive Frozen Food Recall in 50 States

Check your freezer

A frozen food recall triggered by a listeria scare is even more widespread than originally thought. CRF Frozen Foods announced yesterday that it was expanding the recall to include all frozen fruits and vegetables produced in its Pasco, Washington facility since May 2014.

The recall affects all 50 states plus several Canadian provinces. CRF says the CDC "has identified seven people from three states who became ill and were hospitalized due to Listeria." Some of these have been directly linked to consumption of CRF-produced products and two people have died, but according to the CDC, "Listeria was not the cause of death in either person."

According to the company, "Products include organic and non-organic broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, green beans, Italian beans, kale, leeks, lima beans, onions, peas, pepper strips, potatoes, potato medley, root medley, spinach, sweet potatoes, various vegetable medleys, blends, and stir fry packages, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries." The products were sold under numerous brand names including Safeway, Trader Joe's, Kirkland Signature, and Earth's Pride Organics, just to name a few, as well as 20-pound bags of carrots, peas, and corn supplied to fast food chain Panda Express. (Eater has reached out to Panda Express for comment.)

As CNN notes, listeria "can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections in older adults, pregnant women, newborns and individuals with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea."

A number of companies have suffered listeria outbreaks recently, including Texas-based ice cream company Blue Bell. The company recalled all its products in April 2015 after ice cream contaminated with the bacteria was linked to three deaths; Ohio-based ice cream company Jeni's Splendid also had a listeria scare that cost it more than $2 million.

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