A Fresh Express salad Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has sickened at least ten people in eight states and has hospitalized all ten patients. One person has died, according to the FDA.
We do not yet know the patent case count by state or the patient age range, but the states where the patients live or lived include Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Illness onset dates range from July 26, 2016 to October 19, 2021. We will have more information when the CDC publishes their investigation report.
The salads were distributed in North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, and Maine. They were also sold in Canada in Manitoba and Ontario. Fresh Express has voluntarily stopped production at its Streamwood, Illinois Facility and started a recall of some varieties of its branded and private label salads made there. The recall includes all use by dates of fresh salad items with the product codes Z324 through Z350.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture got a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test of a single package of Fresh Express Sweet Hearts salad mix in 9 ounce bags with the use by date of December 8, 2021. Whole genome sequencing showed that the Listeria found in the salad samples matches the strain that caused illnesses in this outbreak. The CDC has reported ten illnesses associated with that specific strain found in the sample.
You can see the long list of recalled products at the FDA recall page. They include brands like Giant Eagle, Fresh Express, Little Salad Bar, Market District, Marketside, O Organics, Signature Farms, Weis Fresh, Simply Nature, and Wellesley Farms Organic,, and items like Fresh Express Fancy Greens, Giant Eagle Italian, Little Salad Bar Chef Salad, Market District Ultimate Kale Caesar Salad, Marketside Baby Greens Salad, O Organics Baby Kale, Signature Farms Coleslaw, Simply Nature Organic Spring Mix, Weis Fresh From the Field Baby Sweet Lettuce, and Wellsley Farms Organic Super Greens.
Check your refrigerator to see if you have any of the recalled products. If you do, discard them immediately, even if some has been consumed and no one has been sick. Symptoms of listeriosis can take up to 70 days to appear, so people do not always get sick with this illness within a few days or even a few weeks of consuming food contaminated with this pathogen. Clean your fridge with a mild bleach solution after discarding these items, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
If you ate any of these products, monitor your health for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. If you do feel sick, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Listeria monocytogenes infection after eating recalled Fresh Express salad products, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202. This firm represents clients in listeriosis lawsuits against producers and grocery stores, and also represents families in wrongful death lawsuits.
