Dole recalls bagged salads for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination as a result of a deadly listeriosis outbreak that has sickened at least 16 people in 13 states. The salads were processed in the company’s Bessemer City, North Carolina and Yuma, Arizona facilities. The recalling firm is Dole Fresh Vegetables.
The products all have a product lot code that begins with either the letter “N” or the letter “Y” in the upper right corner of the package. The best if used by dates on these products are between November 30, 2021 and January 8, 2022.
The salads that tested positive for the pathogen were a single package of Dole brand Garden Salad that was produced in the Bessemer City facility, and a single package of shredded iceberg lettuce that was produced in the Yuma, Arizona facility. These 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 that the FDA and CDC believe is responsible for sixteen illnesses since 2014.
Recalled salad items from the Bessemer City facility were distributed in the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Recalled salad items from the Yuma facility were distributed in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. No products from the Dole facilities in Springfield, Ohio (“W”) or Soledad, California (“B”) are included. No other Dole ready to eat salad products, including fresh fruit or field packed fresh vegetables, are affected by this recall.
The brand names of these products include Ahold, Dole, Kroger, Lidl, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Natures Promise, and Simply Nature. The recalled items include Baby Arugula, Spring Mix, Classic Iceberg, Coleslaw, Romaine Salad, Garden Salad, Caesar, and Italian Blend, among others. You can see the package sizes and UPC numbers at the FDA web site.
Please look at the long list of recalled products carefully. If you purchased any, discard them immediately in a secure trash can, even if some has been consumed and no one is sick. Clean your fridge with a mild bleach solution to kill any remaining bacteria, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
If you ate any of these recalled products, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. That’s how long it can take for symptoms to appear. If you do feel sick, see your doctor.
