A California produce company has voluntarily recalled its entire peaches, plums and nectarines because of a listeria outbreak that led to one death in 2018, according to a food safety alert published Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 10 people have been admitted to the hospital.
The CDC’s food safety alert comes three days after the company HMC Farms told the Food and Drug Administration it was voluntarily recalling the fruits because of the potential health risk. The recalled fruits were sold nationwide from May 1 to November 15 each year in 2022 and 2023. The fruits were sold individually and in two-pound bags marked “HMC Farms” or “Signature Farms.”
“Although healthy individuals may only experience short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea,” the company’s recall announcement says, Listeria infection can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant women. May become the reason.
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for HMC Farms said: “Our thoughts are with those affected by the outbreak. “We are working tirelessly with the FDA to investigate how the contamination occurred.”
According to the CDC, the first illness in the outbreak occurred in August 2018, with one other person becoming ill that year; Two more people fell ill in 2019; four in 2020; one in 2022; And two in 2023. One person died, although officials did not say when. Ten people have been admitted to the hospital.
The people who became ill lived in seven states: California, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Florida. Of those sick, 73 percent were 65 years of age or older. One of those who became ill became ill during her pregnancy and experienced premature labor.
The CDC said it’s likely that more people have become sick due to the outbreak and that people in other states may also have been affected because some people recover without medical care or are not tested, according to officials.
Listeria, a bacteria that contaminates many foods, is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States. People who are pregnant, infants, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are most likely to experience severe illness if infected with the bacteria.
According to the CDC’s food safety alert, federal investigators are “working to determine whether any additional fruit or products made from this fruit may be contaminated”.
In the meantime, officials have recommended that people check the recalled fruit in their homes and either throw it away or return it to the store. The food safety warning included a list of which stickers were on the recalled fruits sold individually.
Officials also recommend that people clean areas that have come in contact with the recalled fruits, including refrigerators where listeria can live and spread easily to other foods or surfaces. Freezing will not eliminate or reduce bacteria.
Source: www.nytimes.com
