Potential Bacteria Contaminations Lead to Product Recalls
Here’s a roundup of popular foods and products that were recalled this week by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists the FDA-regulated products that have been recalled. Here are some of the most recent and popular products that have been recalled this week, due to the identified or suspected presence of harmful bacteria.
Enoki Mushroom—Top Quality Produce, Inc; Yes!; Taiwan Best Quality
Three different brands of enoki mushroom were recalled this week, all for containing Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria can cause serious or fatal infections in young children, elderly adults, or immunocompromised persons. Symptoms of listeria include fever, muscle aches, nausea, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can be destroyed by cooking foods at 165 degrees F. However, stores were asked to stop selling and destroy their remaining supply of these enoki mushrooms.
Fresh cut fruit and vegetable products—Wegmans; Fresh Harvest; Lexington Co-op; Tops
Fruit and vegetable products from Fruit Fresh Up, Inc. is voluntarily recalling all its cut fruit and vegetable products and ready to eat dips. These products were all processed at a facility in Depew, NY that may have been exposed to Listeria monocytogenes.
The recall applies to fresh cut fruits and vegetables in clear plastic containers with a “Best if Used By” date between March 2-March 23, 2022. The recalled dips are in 7 oz clear plastic clamshell containers with a “Best if Used by” date between March 15-March 31, 2022.
No illnesses have been reported so far, but Fresh Fruit Up, Inc. is encouraging all consumers to immediately discard these products. Healthy individuals who contract Listeria monocytogenes usually experience short-term symptoms, but the bacteria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
Ultra Healthing Moisturizer—Jergens
Kao USA Inc. is urging consumers to check their 3 oz and 10 oz bottles of Jergens Ultra Healing Moisturizer to see if they are part of a voluntary recall. Products manufactured between October 1-October 18, 2021, with lot codes UPC 019100109971, 019100267114, and 019100109988, are being recalled due to the presence of Pluralibacter gergoviae.
The Pluralibacter gergoviae bacterium poses little medical risk to healthy people, but may cause health problems in people with weakened immune systems. Kao USA Inc. is removing the indicated batches from warehouses, asking retailers to remove it from shelves, and notifying customers to discontinue use.
