Several varieties of Dole Fresh Vegetables packaged salads are being recalled due to possible listeria contamination.
The company announced the recall after random samples of salad products from their facilities in Bessemer City, North Carolina, and Yuma, Arizona, were found to contain strains of Listeria monocytogenes, a type of disease-causing bacteria.
Dole Fresh Vegetables produces both Dole-branded salads and private label salads for grocery stores including Kroger and Lidl.
The extensive recall includes 180 products, including Dole-branded salads as well as salads sold under the brands Ahold, Lidl, Kroger, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature’s Promise and Simply Nature.
Products affected by the recall have a product lot code beginning with “N” or “Y” and a use-by date falling between Nov. 30, 2021, and Jan. 8, 2022, according to a release from the Food and Drug Administration. Anyone who has these products at home should throw them away.
The recall includes products sold across several states: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The complete list of recalled products, along with their product codes, can be found in this FDA release.
Operations have been temporarily suspended at the production facilities where the potential contamination occurred so that extensive cleaning and sanitation can take place.
This news comes just after another major salad recall. Earlier this week, Fresh Express recalled 225 types of salads sold in several states and parts of Canada, also due to possible listeria contamination. The products included in that recall were packaged at the company’s facility in Streamwood, Illinois.
Listeria infection can cause symptoms including headache, confusion, fever, muscle aches, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Listeria infection can also lead to pregnancy loss or premature birth, and can cause severe infections of the bloodstream or brain in people over 65, or people with weakened immune systems.
According to the FDA, anyone with questions or concerns about the Dole Fresh Vegetables recall should call the Dole Consumer Response Center at 800-356-311, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. PT.