Producer Announces Recall of Frozen Broccoli Cuts After Positive Tests for Listeria
Alimentos Congelados, S.A. (Pinula) announced a voluntary recall of 1,800 cases of Wylwood Frozen Broccoli Cuts on Friday evening. The company issued the recall due to potential contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria is a pathogen that poses a serious and potentially fatal health threat to certain groups of people, particularly
- Pregnant women and their newborns;
- Older adults; and
- People with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people that do not fall under one of the high-risk categories can also contract the disease. When an otherwise health person develops a Listeria infection, they usually only experience short-term symptoms. The signs of Listeria in a healthy person may include high fever, stiffness, nausea, severe headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina stores received shipments of the recalled Frozen Broccoli Cuts. The cuts were distributed in poly bags, and featured the following labeling and codes:
- WYLWOOD Fresh Frozen Broccoli Cuts;
- NET WT. 16 OZ (1 LB);
- UPC 5193300110; and
- Bag code: A25335P and A15335P.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODOA) tested a retail package of the Broccoli cuts, likely as part of its routine testing program. Analysis of the test results showed that the broccoli was contaminated with Listeria bacteria. Routine testing by ODOA also recently identified the source of a large listeriosis outbreak linked to Dole prepackaged salads distributed from the company’s Springfield, Ohio processing plant.
The positive test results enabled authorities identify the source of a lethal Listeria outbreak and, in the case of the Wylwood broccoli, hopefully prevent any and all illnesses that would have occurred without the recall.
The company completely ceased distribution of its Frozen Broccoli Cuts. According to the FDA recall announcement, the company is “fully cooperating with regulatory agencies.” At this point, the company has not received any complaints related to the broccoli cuts and said it was not aware of any broccoli-associated illnesses that have occurred to date.
If you or someone in your household purchased Frozen Broccoli Cuts with the codes above, do not consume the product. Even if part of the package has already been consumed and no one has become ill, the package should still be disposed of as subsequent servings may still result in contracting the disease.
According to a recent study published by the CDC, “Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) causes the third highest number of foodborne illness deaths (an estimated 255) in the United States annually,” behind only Salmonella and one other pathogen.
