Salad products recalled for listeria risk

Consumers should check their products before bringing salad for the family this weekend, after produce company Fresh Express announced recalls on many of its products for a potential listeria contamination at the company’s Streamwood, Illinois facility.

“This organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems,” the FDA said in a news release. “Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”

Recalled salad items were distributed through retailers in 19 states in Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. The list includes Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Many of the recalled products fall under Fresh Express-owned brands including Bowl & Basket, Giant Eagle, Little Salad Bar, Market District, Marketside, O Organics, Signature Farms, Simply Nature, Weis Fresh From the Field, and Wellsley Farms.

A full list of recalled products is available on the FDA’s website. The recall includes all Use-By Dates of salad items with product codes Z324 through Z350. Product codes are located on the front of the packages below the Use-By Date.

Fresh Express immediately halted all production at the Streamwood facility, initiated a complete sanitation review, and contacted retailers to remove items from store shelves and halt shipments, according to the FDA.

Recalled products should be discarded and not consumed. To obtain a refund or for more information, consumers may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Refunds are also available where purchased.