Listeria outbreak has expanded to all frozen waffles, Belgian waffles, and pancakes
Last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall alert for frozen waffle products produced at TreeHouse Foods facilities due to a suspected Listeria contamination. Evidence of listeria was found during a routine testing at the manufacturing facility in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
On Thursday, October 24th, the recall was expanded to include all frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles, and pancakes.
The recalled products spread across a variety of brands that are sold at Dollar General, Publix, Stop&Shop, Costco, Target, Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, and more. The frozen waffles from the Whole Foods 365 brand have also been recently added to the list. Any recently purchased items on the recalled list should be discarded or returned to the store for a refund.
Thus far, there have been no reported illnesses associated with the recalled products.
It is important to note that food that has been contaminated with listeria may not necessarily appear to look spoiled, but can still carry the bacteria.
Listeria bacteria can be found in soil or water and can easily spread to food in the processing centers if a piece of equipment is not properly cleaned. The sudden uptick in food recalls in the past couple of months have many United States citizens wondering what the reasons are behind all of these cases of foodborne illnesses. While there is not one correct answer, some experts are theorizing that a higher number of imported ingredients and more highly processed food may play a part.
Listeria is especially dangerous because it thrives at lower temperatures and can survive in the freezer, making frozen and ready-to-eat foods susceptible to contamination. Cooking foods to the proper internal temperature is an effective way of killing listeria bacteria.
Listeriosis is an infection caused by the listeria bacteria and can be quite harmful and potentially fatal especially for young children, pregnant people, the immunocompromised, and older adults. Healthy people are less likely to experience any particularly intense symptoms and may even be asymptomatic. Listeria symptoms usually manifest within 24 hours of consuming the bacteria. Some common symptoms include headaches, diarrhea, fevers, muscle aches, and even changes in your mental state. Individuals that are experiencing any symptoms in line with those of listeriosis should seek medical care.
