Rough Summer for Frozen Vegetables as Recalls Abound
It’s been a rough summer for vegetables. In May, CRF Frozen Foods recalled 358 frozen vegetable products sold under 42 brand names. In addition, the FDA helped recall at least 98 other products. While the recalls went on, the FDA inspected the plant, reporting unsanitary conditions.
In addition to the 456 products recalled in connection with the CRF incident, firms announced additional recalls. National Frozen Foods Corporation recalled a large number of frozen green peas. The recalled products included peas sold under WalMart’s Great Value brand, Target’s Market Pantry brand, and the store brands for Sprouts Farmers Market, Smart&Final, and Reinhart Foodservice. Furthermore, the National Frozen Foods recall set off another wave of secondary recalls. These recalls had no relation to the CRF Frozen Food secondary recalls.
For example, Essential Foods Inc. of Seattle had to recall its Globespun Gourmet wraps because they contained recalled peas. HelloFresh recalled four different types of preprepared meals distributed across large parts of the country for the same reason. These constitute a small sampling of recalls set into motion by contaminated vegetables distributed by a producer. Now, cut green beans from JML Ingredients can be tacked onto the list of producers recalling their frozen vegetables this summer.
JML Ingredients’ Green Beans: Yet Another Veggie Recall
JML Ingredients, Inc. initiated the recall of its IQF Cut Green Beans due to potential Listeria contamination. The Pennsylvania firm distributed the green beans to manufacturers in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. Despite the seemingly short distribution list, those businesses likely further distributed the green beans throughout the nation.
A random sampling program conducted by a manufacturer that uses the green beans in its finished products initially revealed the potential contamination. In the course of its routine sampling, the company detected the presence of Listeria in the JML green beans. JML ceased production of the product, and began work with the identifying company and FDA to investigate the problem.
Details for the recalled products are as follows:
- ICAAP brand IQF Cut Green Beans, Lot No. 110815 / 15649, with an expiration date of August 10, 2017;
- ICAAP brand IQF Cut Green Beans, Lot No. 120815 / 15650, with an expiration date of August 11, 2017;
- ICAAP brand IQF Cut Green Beans, Lot No. 050915 / 15651, with an expiration date of September 4, 2017; and
- ICAAP brand IQF Cut Green Beans, Lot No. 200915 / 15652, with an expiration date of September 19, 2017.
The company strongly encourages any consumers who purchased recalled products to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.
