Michigan, United States- Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.,is voluntarily recalling from the market all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Bessemer City, NC and its Yuma, AZ production facilities due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes and is also temporarily suspending operations at both facilities to conduct an extensive cleaning and sanitation protocol.
Products subject to the voluntary recall are identified by a product lot code beginning with the either the letter “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package and will have a “Best if Used By” date between November 30, 2021, and January 8, 2022. Consumers who still have any of these products in their refrigerators are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately.
This suspension of operations and recall are being performed voluntarily by Dole out of an abundance of caution, in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decision to suspend operations and recall all products from these facilities was made after analyzing the strain of Listeria monocytogenes isolated in a single package of Dole-branded Garden Salad produced in the Bessemer City facility and a single package of shredded iceberg lettuce produced in the Yuma, AZ facility. Both of those items were randomly sampled by the state of Georgia and the state of Michigan, respectively, and were a genetic match with a strain of Listeria monocytogenes which FDA and CDC believe is responsible for sixteen illnesses since 2014.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that 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 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 from the Bessemer City facility were distributed in the states of AL, CT, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, and VA. Recalled salad items from the Yuma facility were distributed in the states of AL, AZ, CT, FL, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MS, NC, ND, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI.
No products produced from Dole facilities in Springfield, OH (production/lot codes beginning with “W”) or Soledad, CA (production/lot codes beginning with “B”) are included in these voluntary recalls. In addition, no other Dole products, including “ready-to-eat” salad products, fresh fruit, and field-packed fresh vegetables, are part of these voluntary recalls and are safe to consume.
Dole retailers have been advised to check store shelves and warehouse inventories to confirm that no recalled product is available for purchase by consumers.
Retailer and consumer questions about the voluntary recalls should be directed to the Dole Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111, Monday—Friday, 8:00am to 3:00pm Pacific Time.
Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.
For a full list of recalled products, click the link to the Food and Drug Administration website here: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/dole-fresh-vegetables-announces-voluntary-recall-salads-processed-its-bessemer-city-nc-and-yuma-az?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
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