- A customer’s third-party lab results from sweet cut corn initiated the recall
- The FDA said there have been ‘no actual consumer reports of human illness’
- READ MORE: Hundreds of thousands of kids’ cups recalled over poisoning fears
A brand of frozen mixed vegetables and sweet corn is being recalled over fears it could be contaminated with a bacteria that can cause serious health problems, including miscarriages in pregnant women.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Twin City Foods, which packages the product, said it is ‘voluntarily recalling a limited quantity’ of 22 frozen vegetable products because there is a ‘potential for these products to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes’.
It is the same bacteria that recently killed three people in Washington after they ate milkshakes made using a contaminated ice cream machine at a burger joint.
The affected foods include various sizes of Kroger and Food Lion branded super sweet corn, Kroger and Food Lion branded mixed vegetables carrots, super sweet corn, green beans and green peas. The full list can be found on the FDA’s website.
The affected foods include various sizes of Kroger and Food Lion branded super sweet corn, Kroger and Food Lion branded mixed vegetables, carrots, super sweet corn, green beans and green peas
A customer submitted one of the products to a third-party lab, which detected the bacteria in the sweet corn. These results initiated the recall, but the FDA said ‘there have been no actual consumer reports of human illness or other complaints associated with this product’.
Listeria is an infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium listeria monocytogenes.
Most people who eat food contaminated with listeria will not become seriously ill, but in some cases, it can cause confusion and seizures, miscarriage in pregnant women, and even death.
This can happen when the infection spreads beyond the gut and affects the central nervous system.
Mild symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting and they typically start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and generally last one to three days.
Many foods can harbor listeria, but it is usually found in unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses and ready-to-eat foods, such as prepacked sandwiches.
Listeria is widespread in the environment and can be found in raw food and soil and in the droppings of many mammals, birds, and fish.
People who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to listeria.
The infection is treated with antibiotics.
According to the CDC, roughly 1,600 Americans get listeria yearly and about 260 die.
You can avoid listeria by washing your hands regularly with soap and water, washing fruits and vegetables before eating them, storing ready-to-eat foods as recommended by the manufacturer, and ensuring all hot food is cooked completely.