Hi Tony! I hope you and the kids are doing well! Jason and I are leaving Monday night to go on vacation, so I’m sending my three articles for this week now. We will be back mid-week next week, so next week’s articles will come in the second half of the week. 🙂
Moonlight Companies Recalls California-Grown Peaches Over Possible Listeria Contamination
On October 29, 2025, Moonlight Companies announced a voluntary recall of selected lots of California-grown conventional yellow and white peaches because Listeria monocytogenes was identified in the packing facility environment. The company’s announcement, posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls page on October 30, 2025, lists the affected PLU stickers, UPCs, lot codes, and facility code used to help customers and retailers identify impacted fruit. Federal and state agencies are coordinating with Moonlight and major retailers to remove implicated fruit from store shelves and to notify consumers. No illnesses have been reported so far, but the recall is being treated with urgency because Listeria infections can be severe for certain groups.
What Products Are Affected and How to Identify Them
Moonlight’s FDA posting provides a detailed table and photos to help consumers and retailers identify recalled fruit. The recall covers conventional yellow and white peaches sold either as individual pieces bearing PLU stickers or as multi-packs with specific UPCs. Affected PLU sticker numbers include 4401 and 4044; the facility code shown on implicated fruit is P1; and numerous lot codes spanning a range of packing dates appear in the FDA table. Multi-pack UPCs listed on the FDA page include numbers such as 8 10248 03165 6 and 8 10248 03163 2, and a range of lot codes (for full list see company notice). The recall excludes packages or PLU stickers stamped with the words “Washington” and/or “Organic.” The fruit was sold at many nationwide retailers between September 16, 2025 and October 29, 2025, including major supermarket chains.
Because peaches are frequently sold loose and may be repackaged or sold under private labels, the FDA provides photos of the PLU stickers and example packaging on the recall page. Consumers who are unsure whether a peach in their home is affected should compare the sticker and any multi-pack UPCs against the FDA product images and the list of lot codes. Retailers are urged to immediately remove all implicated lots from shelves and distribution channels.
Why an Environmental Detection In a Packing Facility Is Treated Seriously
The recall was initiated after investigators found Listeria monocytogenes in the packing facility environment. Environmental detections differ from finished product positives in that they reveal the presence of the organism in equipment, drains, floors, or other niches where the bacteria can persist as biofilms. A positive environmental sample signals a risk that product contact surfaces, or the fruit itself, may become contaminated, especially when packaging and handling activities occur in the same spaces as such niches. The FDA’s company announcement makes that causal logic clear: the recall “is being conducted because Listeria monocytogenes was identified in the packing facility environment.”
According to the national food poisoning lawyer, Tony Coveny, “Listeria is a hardy organism that can survive and sometimes grow at refrigeration temperatures; it forms biofilms that resist routine cleaning and can intermittently contaminate finished goods.” Packing lines that handle freshly harvested produce present many opportunities for environmental contamination: wet floors and drains, damaged equipment seals, inadequate separation between dirty and clean operations, and improper sanitation of reusable containers or pallets can all permit Listeria to persist and reach product.
Why Peaches Warrant Caution When Listeria Is Found
Fresh fruit like peaches are not classic, high-risk Listeria vehicles in the way deli meats or unpasteurized cheeses are, but they are susceptible to surface contamination during packing and distribution. Several features make fruit a serious concern when a facility environment tests positive:
- Peaches are handled and touched extensively during harvesting, grading, waxing, packing and display. Each handoff is an opportunity for transfer of environmental contaminants to fruit surfaces.
- Many consumers eat peaches raw and unpeeled; there is typically no consumer kill step (no cooking) before consumption, so any surface contamination remains viable at the point of eating.
- Peaches may be stored in consumer refrigerators for days; while refrigeration slows growth, Listeria can survive and in some circumstances slowly multiply at cold temperatures over an extended shelf life.
- Packing facilities that process large volumes and distribute widely can spread contamination across many retail outlets and private-label brands before a problem is recognized.
Because of these factors, regulators and companies often issue recalls even when only an environmental sample is positive for Listeria rather than finished product samples. The goal is to prevent illness before it occurs by removing potential exposure.
What Listeria Monocytogenes Does
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, an infection that ranges from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to invasive disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes two general illness patterns: non-invasive intestinal illness and invasive listeriosis when bacteria spread beyond the gut. Invasive disease is the key concern because it can cause meningitis, bacteremia, miscarriage, stillbirth, and death. The CDC explains that Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women and people who are 65 or older or who have weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis. That risk profile is why public-health advisories emphasize caution for those groups.
Symptoms of listeriosis can begin within two weeks of exposure but may appear as late as 10 weeks after eating contaminated food, complicating efforts to link illness to a specific exposure. Typical signs range from fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal upset to more severe neurologic signs like headache, stiff neck or confusion when invasive disease occurs. Pregnant people may only experience mild flu-like symptoms but can deliver stillborn infants or suffer pregnancy loss if infected.
How the Recall Will Be Handled Operationally
Moonlight Companies issued a voluntary recall and provided a consumer hotline for questions. Retailers that sold affected fruit are being asked to remove stock, quarantine any suspect lots, and coordinate returns or disposal. Many national supermarket chains named in news reports and regulator notices have already pulled product from shelves and are contacting customers in affected regions who purchased multi-packs via loyalty accounts or online receipts. State departments of health and agriculture in several jurisdictions published advisories to help local consumers identify recalled fruit and to ensure retail compliance.
Retailers that use loose fruit displays should review incoming PLU stickers for the listed numbers and all lot codes. Because produce sometimes moves through repackers and secondary distributors, traceback requires cooperation across multiple companies to determine which stores received specific lots and whether any repackaging changed labels. In addition to store-level removal, distributors must quarantine remaining pallets, provide lot traceability to customers, and hold or discard suspect product per regulatory guidance.
Consumer Guidance
If you purchased peaches between September 16 and October 29, 2025, check the PLU sticker and any package UPC against the FDA recall table and photos. If your peaches match the PLU/UPC/lot codes, do not eat them. The FDA advises consumers to throw the fruit away in a sealed container or return the item to the place of purchase for a refund. Clean and sanitize any surfaces, cutting boards, drawers or containers that the peaches contacted. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the fruit. If you ate recalled peaches and develop symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal upset, or neurologic signs, contact your healthcare provider and mention the possible Listeria exposure.
High-risk individuals, pregnant people, those over 65, and people with weakened immune systems, should be especially vigilant. Because symptoms can be delayed, anyone who consumed the recalled fruit in the preceding weeks should be aware of the possible incubation window and seek care promptly if illness appears.
Why No Illnesses May Have Been Reported Yet
Public statements indicate no illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the Moonlight recall. That is reassuring but not definitive. Listeriosis has a prolonged and variable incubation period; cases may not be recognized or reported immediately. Additionally, if only surface contamination occurred at low levels, the exposure dose for most healthy adults might be insufficient to cause noticeable illness. Vulnerable individuals can become severely ill even from low doses. Environmental positives usually lead to recalls precisely because they represent a warning signal: organisms present in the facility have the potential to reach multiple product lots and many consumers before detection and corrective actions are completed.
The absence of reported cases can also reflect successful early detection and rapid retail removal, which is the desired outcome for a preventative recall.
What Investigators Will Focus On Next
Regulators and company investigators will typically pursue several parallel actions: intensified environmental sampling to map contamination niches; review of sanitation and equipment maintenance logs; interviews with packing house staff about handling and separation practices; examination of water sources and wash systems; and a traceback of packing dates to determine the window of exposure. Where wet areas, drains or damaged equipment are implicated, remediation will include deep cleaning, validation of sanitation effectiveness, and repeat negative environmental testing before resumption of normal operations. Companies may also conduct targeted testing of finished product lots to confirm absence of contamination before returning fruit to market.
Tracing distribution is also critical. Agencies will work with Moonlight and retailers to map where each lot shipped, whether repackers re-labeled fruit, and whether any multi-packers created products under private labels that used the implicated fruit.
Industry and Regulatory Context
Produce packing facilities handle large volumes of fruit rapidly during harvest windows, and even with good food-safety plans the combination of mechanical sorting, wet processing, packing and cold storage creates complex hygiene challenges. Environmental monitoring programs that include routine swabbing of drains, floors, equipment and contact surfaces are designed to detect Listeria before finished product is contaminated. When monitoring reveals positives, strong governance requires prompt corrective action, root-cause analysis and, if necessary, product removal. This recall demonstrates the monitoring system working as intended: detection → action → recall → mitigation. Regulatory agencies use such episodes to assess whether industry guidance and facility practices need reinforcement across a sector.
Practical Steps For Stakeholders
For consumers
- Inspect peaches in your home against PLU stickers and UPCs on the FDA page. If your fruit matches the recall identifiers, do not eat it; discard it in a sealed container or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
- Sanitize any surfaces, bowls, drawers, or utensils that contacted the recalled fruit.
- Monitor for symptoms for up to several weeks; seek medical advice if you belong to a high-risk group and develop fever, muscle aches, or other concerning symptoms.
- Keep receipts and product photos if you purchased affected multi-packs; they help retailers facilitate refunds and support traceback.
For Retailers and Distributors
- Immediately quarantine and remove all lots identified by PLU, UPC and lot codes. Check inventory records and shipment manifests to identify any re-packers or stores that may hold implicated lots.
- Notify customers via posted store notices, website alerts and direct communications where purchase records allow.
- Deep clean packing and display areas and document corrective actions.
- Cooperate with regulatory sampling and follow agency instructions for disposal or return.
For Packing Facilities
- Increase environmental sampling frequency and expand swab locations to map possible Listeria niches.
- Halt packing operations if contamination is widespread until remediation and verification testing confirm the environment is clean.
- Review and validate sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), employee hygiene, and equipment maintenance.
- Consider engineering controls to prevent water pooling and to separate dirty and clean zones more effectively.
For Clinicians and Public-Health Agencies
- Ask patients with suspected foodborne illness about recent fresh-fruit consumption and advise testing where indicated.
- Warn pregnant patients and immunocompromised individuals about the recall and the need for prompt medical care if symptoms arise.
- Monitor hospital and outpatient labs for Listeria isolates that may match clusters if illnesses emerge.
Broader Implications and Prevention Lessons
The Moonlight recall reinforces several systemic lessons. First, environmental monitoring programs are critical and can prevent illnesses if companies act quickly. Second, the packed-produce supply chain is complex; even regional contamination events can produce nationwide recalls because fruit is widely distributed through brokers and large retailers. Third, public communication must be precise, PLU stickers and lot codes are the practical identifiers consumers need to act. Finally, this recall should prompt industry partners to reassess cold-chain housekeeping, cross-contamination controls, and repacker traceability to minimize future risk.
Analysis & Next Steps
What’s New: Moonlight Companies voluntarily recalled selected lots of conventional yellow and white peaches packed at facility P1 after Listeria monocytogenes was identified in the packing facility environment. The recall covers fruit sold between September 16 and October 29, 2025, identified by PLU stickers 4401/4044, specific lot codes and several UPCs. The FDA posted the company announcement on October 30, 2025, and retailers and state health departments across the country have issued notices. No illnesses have been reported to date.
Why It Matters: Listeria can cause severe invasive disease in high-risk groups and has a long and variable incubation period, complicating outbreak detection and increasing the importance of preventive recalls. Environmental positives indicate a contamination risk that could affect many lots and retailers if not addressed quickly. Because peaches are typically eaten raw and widely distributed, the potential exposure footprint is large even when the number of contaminated items is relatively small.
Who’s Affected: Consumers who purchased the specified peaches nationwide are potentially affected, especially pregnant people, those 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems. Retailers, distributors, repackers and the packing facility must address operational, legal and reputational issues. Public-health laboratories and clinicians may be called upon to investigate and manage suspected cases if illnesses are reported.
What To Do Now:
- Consumers: Check PLU stickers and UPCs; if your peaches match, do not eat them, discard or return for refund. Clean surfaces that contacted the fruit and monitor for symptoms for up to several weeks. Seek prompt medical evaluation if you are in a high-risk group and develop signs compatible with listeriosis.
- Retailers/Distributors: Quarantine and remove implicated lots, post customer notices, cooperate with regulators, and perform cleaning and sanitation of display areas. Verify supplier documentation and inspect remaining inventory for proper PLU/lot coding.
- Packing facility: Conduct a root-cause investigation, remediate environmental niches, re-validate sanitation procedures, and require negative confirmatory environmental testing before resuming normal operations. Improve segregation between raw handling zones and packing lines.
- Public-health authorities: Continue surveillance for listeriosis, prioritize follow-up sampling and traceback, and communicate clearly with the public about identifiers and timelines.
Final Note
The Moonlight recall is a reminder that produce safety rests on environmental control as much as on upstream farm practices. Early detection and voluntary recall actions can avert human illness; the absence of reported cases so far is encouraging, but it does not obviate the need for thorough remediation, transparent communication, and careful follow-through by Moonlight, its retail partners, and regulators. Consumers should check their fruit immediately and follow recall instructions, and vulnerable individuals should take extra precautions. The episode should also prompt industry partners to reexamine environmental monitoring and packing-line hygiene so that fresh fruit remains a safe, everyday part of the American diet.
