Frozen Foods Recalled Due To Listeria Scare
A recent Listeria outbreak caused frozen food giant CRF to pull out many of its products at hundreds of grocery chains across the United States.
The CRF-initiated move includes a massive recall of 382 frozen fruits and vegetables sold under various brands at stores nationwide like Trader Joe's, Safeway, Walmart, Costco, and many others. All the recalled goods are reportedly produced in the food company's facility in Paco, Washington since May 1, 2014.
"As a precaution, CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington is expanding its voluntary recall of frozen organic and traditional fruits and vegetables. We are performing this voluntary recall in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes," CRF said as quoted from their official press release.
"The organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term..., Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women."
The products covered in the recall are reportedly labeled with "best by" or "sell by" date between April 26, 2016, and April 26, 2018 the company said. CRF initially volunteered to remove 15 frozen food items off the shelf after the Ohio health authorities detected Listeria. Furthermore, it also suspended operation in its Paco facility to allow authorities to conduct a thorough health review as mentioned in an NPR report.
As a result of the food scare, several people have been rushed to the hospital to receive treatment. As per Business Insider report, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that seven people from three states became ill after consuming CRF-processed foods. Two of the patients have recently died although Listeria was not identified to be the cause of their death.
