TreeHouse Foods is voluntarily recalling many products that contain sunflower seeds, which may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. No illnesses have been reported to date, but listeriosis, the illness caused by this pathogenic bacteria, can take up to 70 days to appear.
The products were distributed nationwide through retail stores. You can see the long list of recalled products at the FDA web site. The products include brand names Southern Grove, Natures Harvest, Best Choice, Amport, Naturally Select, Smart Sense, Nice, Gold Emblem, K&G Southwest, Roundy, ShurFine, Spartan, Meijer, Western Family, Signature Kitchen, Family Gourmet, Food Club, Super Value, Publix, PCC, Best Choice, Our Family, Tops, HyVee, Great Value, Eating Right (Lucerne), and FoodHold.
The recalled products include almonds bars, fruit and nut bars, protein bars, trail mix bars, pretzel bars, trail mix, and sunflower kernels, among others. You can see the UPC number and best by date of each product at the PR Newswire website link above.
If you purchased any of these products with the UPC number and best by dates listed, do not eat them. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or throw them away in a sealed container. Then clean out your cupboard or refrigerator where they were stored with a mild bleach solution to kill bacteria.
If you ate any of these recalled products, watch yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. Those symptoms include headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. If you do get sick, see your doctor and tell her you ate one of these recalled products.
