Fresh Fruit In 18 States Recalled Over Possible Listeria Risk
Thousands of cartons of fresh peaches, nectarines and plums distributed to stores across the country are being recalled because they may be contaminated with listeria, which can cause serious illness.
New York-based fruit distributor Jac Vandenberg Inc. announced the recall on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s website on Thursday after routine checks revealed samples of the fruit contained the listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
Listeria “can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the announcement stated.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the possible contamination, which was made public just one day before the end of the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.
The affected fruit was distributed at “small retail establishments” in Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.
Fruit sold in the following Walmart, Costco, Aldi, Fairway Market, Hannaford and Market Basket stores are also subject to the recall:
Some 1,727 cartons of peaches, 1,207 cartons of nectarines and 365 cartons of plums are being recalled. The peaches and nectarines were sold in bulk and come with the PLU sticker numbers 4044, 3035 or 4378, and show the country of origin as Chile.
Aldi’s peaches, nectarines and plums were sold in a 2-pound bag under the Rio Duero brand and have the EAN numbers 7804650090281, 7804650090298 and 7804650090304. The Costco nectarines were sold in a 4-pound plastic clamshell, also under the Rio Duero brand, and with the EAN number 7804650090212.
The recall announcement urged consumers to return the fruit to the place of purchase for a refund.
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
