A recall of vegetables over fears of a listeria contamination was classified as a potential public health risk this week—a move that affects consumers across four states.
Trays of sliced zucchini and yellow squash, produced by Pero Family Farms, were voluntarily recalled by the firm on November 5 amid concerns the products may contain food-poisoning Listeria monocytogenes.
Pero Family Farms is based in Florida, but its products are also shipped to Missouri, Illinois, and Virginia. Newsweek has reached out by email to Pero Family Farms, seeking further information and comment outside of usual business hours.
Most people who accidentally consume the bacteria are hit with vomiting and diarrhea, but some at-risk groups (such as newborns, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems) can become seriously ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last week, it emerged that an infant died after falling ill during a listeria outbreak in California sparked by contaminated meat; the child's twin sibling also died, but experts said testing could not confirm listeria in that sibling.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified the zucchini and squash recall as a Class II health hazard, which means the products "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences." The classification is also used "where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote." There are three FDA recall classification classes in total, with Class I being the most severe warning, encompassing the potential for serious health consequences or death, and Class III stating the affected product is not likely to cause health problems.
The affected product is labeled "Squash/Sliced Zucchini and Yellow Squash" with the lot number "346918," the UPC number "874896009764" and an expiration or "best by" date of "10/28/2024."
A press release was not issued at the time of the original recall of zucchini and squash, which remains "ongoing," the FDA said.
Recalls are issued if there are concerns that a food product may be harmful in some way, such as when testing reveals that products are infected with potentially deadly bacteria, or amid fears that foods could be contaminated with a foreign object from the manufacturing process.
Consumers have various rights when an item they've purchased is hit by a recall, with food recalls typically offering full refunds.
These recalls frequently include a request for the customers to return the product to the place of purchase, where they will be issued a refund. The stores should have been made aware of the recall by the company involved.
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