Dole Food US recalls Leafy Romaine salads over Listeria contamination

Fruit and fresh vegetables marketer Dole Food is recalling 1,077 cases of bagged salads across six states in the US due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes.

The recall was initiated after random testing conducted in North Carolina revealed that a sample of Marketside Leafy Romaine salad was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The salads were sold at Kroger and Walmart stores across Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, under Kroger’s Fresh Selection label and Walmart’s Marketside labels.

According to Dole, all the affected products carry a use-by date of 19th June 2012, hence there is a low probability that they are still available at the retailers.

The products affected by the recall are Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme coded N158 211B 1613 KR04 with UPC 11110 91039; Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine coded N158 111B KR11 with UPC 11110 91046; and Walmart Marketside Leafy Romaine coded N158111B with UPC code 81131 02781.

To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall. Dole Food has noted that it is coordinating closely with regulatory authorities and its customer service representatives are working with retailers, in order to ensure the products are not available anymore.

The company has requested consumers, who have purchased the products with these codes, to discard them.

In 2011, Listeria-contaminated cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colorado, led to 146 cases of illnesses and 30 deaths across the US, making it one of the deadliest Listeria outbreaks in the nation.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can lead to foodborne illness known as Listeriosis. The symptoms of an infection may include fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea or diarrhoea.

---

Image: Dole Food initiated the Leafy Romaine recall after random testing found Listeria monocytogenes in a salad sample. Photo courtesy of: USFDA.