Growers Express has issued a recall for some of its vegetable products under the Green Giant Fresh, Trader Joe’s and the Signature Farms brands, in connection with concerns they may be contaminated with listeria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.
Packaged butternut squash, cauliflower and zucchini items, as well as a butternut squash-based veggie bowl are among the products included in the recall.
“We take issues of food safety seriously and have issued a voluntary recall of select fresh vegetable products in abundance of caution and in the interest of protecting our customers and end consumers,” Growers Express said in a statement. “Our manufacturing facilities meet or exceed all requirements and guidelines set by the FDA to ensure the safety and quality of the products we produce. There have been no reported illnesses.”
The Food and Drug Administration said the potentially affected foods come from a distribution center in Maine and were sold throughout the United States, with most available in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maine.
Most of the affected products are labeled with a “best if used by” date of June 26–June 29, 2019. No Green Giant canned or frozen vegetables are part of the recall.
People who bought the products and still have them are urged to throw them out.
“Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the FDA said. “Although healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”
About 1,600 people contract listeriosis annually, with roughly 260 dying from it. The infection is most likely to affect pregnant women and their newborn babies, people over the age of 65 and anyone with a weak immune system, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Listeria recalls are not uncommon, and this year alone has already seen several of them.
In March, avocados grown in California that were sold in six states were recalled because of potential contamination. Green beans and butternut squash cubes sold at Walmart were also recalled in February. A month before that, a wide range of fruits sold at stores such as Costco, Aldi and Walmart were also cited.