The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has worried many consumers. The FDA has listed states where the recalled salads were sold, but that’s not the whole story.
It’s important to note that the most important factor in this outbreak is where the salads were produced, not where they are being sold. Any salad that has the letter “A” at the start of the manufacturing code, which is a list of numbers stamped onto each product, was produced in the Springfield, Ohio that is part of the recall.
Please look through your refrigerator and see if you have purchased any Dole prepackaged salad or greens product that has that code. There is no end date on the recalled products. If you do have some in your home, throw away the product in a sealed container and clean the fridge with a mild bleach solution.
If you ate any of the recalled products (and there were a lot of them), and have experienced the symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by this bacteria, please see your doctor. Those symptoms include flu-like fever and muscle aches, upset stomach or diarrhea, stiff neck, headache, loss of balance, or confusion. Pregnant women can have serious consequences from this infection, including miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and newborn infection of the baby, even though they may only be mildly ill.
Food Poisoning Bulletin previously reported there were four deaths in Canada associated with the Dole Listeria outbreak. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, three people sickened with Listeria monocytogenes have died, however their cause of death has not been linked to Listeria.
In the United States, The Centers for Disease Control lists one death associated with the outbreak, however the details of that death have not been released.
We apologize for the error.
