Almost 100,000 Pounds of Salad Sold at Target and Aldi Recalled After Testing Positive for E. Coli
Missa Bay is recalling almost 100,000 pounds of salad products containing meat or poultry due to a possible E. coli contamination. Some of the affected brands under Missa Bay include Aldi, Target’s Good & Gather brand, Domino’s, Marketside and Signature.
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a class I recall for 38 products on Thursday after the Maryland Department of Health found one of the salads tested positive for E. coli. The full list is available here. It includes salads labeled Ready Pac Bistro Chicken Caesar, Target Bowl Chicken Caesar, and Aldi Bistro Santa Fe.
According to the FSIS website, a class I recall — which is the most severe — is a “health hazard situation in which there is reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death.”
Items affected by the recall were distributed to 22 states including Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Consumers should look for the establishment number “EST. 18502B” located inside the USDA Mark of inspection on the packaging, and a best buy date ranging from Oct. 30-Nov. 1.
The USDA is concerned that the salads may still be in people’s refrigerators even though they are past their expiration dates. Consumers are strongly advised to not eat recalled items and to either throw them out or return them immediately.
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Symptoms of the particular strand of E. coli found include cramping, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
Unfortunately, salad isn’t the only food item that was recently recalled. Fresh blackberries from Fresh Thyme Farmers Market sold in September were found to possibly be contaminated with the hepatitis A virus on Nov. 20.
The FDA issued a statement that urged consumers not to eat berries purchased between Sept 9-Sept 30 even if they froze them as freezing does not kill the virus. Outbreaks have only been reported in Indiana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, but the berries came from distribution centers that ship to 11 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota,,Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
According to Food Safety News, it can take more than to 50 days for symptoms to develop, so anyone who consumed blackberries in September should continue to monitor their health.
Fresh Thyme Farmers Market issued a statement to PEOPLE saying they are not responsible for the outbreak and are working closely with FDA to determine the source of the contamination.
