Whole Foods stores involved in recall of tainted meat products
Ready-to-eat salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and sopressata meat products made by Olli Salumeria Americana in Oceanside, California, are the subject of a recall because of listeria contamination. The company is recalling 3,946 pounds of the tainted meat products.
Even though the company states that it has sent the meat products to a number of retail stores in the US and Canada, to date only Whole Foods has been named as an outlet for the sale of those products. The recall affects stores in 29 states across the US. Whole Foods has posted the recall notice on its website and encourages consumers to properly dispose of the items or return them to the store.
The recalled products, including items such as Napoli Applewood-Smoked Salame, Sopressata Black Peppercorn Salame, and Pepperoni Classically American, are sold under the brand names Gusto and Olli. Each of the recalled meat items bears the establishment number “M-45334” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The listeria contamination was found during a routine Listeria sampling from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as the meat products were being exported to Canada, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
Listeria contamination is a serious issue. Since listeria lives on external surfaces for years until disinfected, entire food processing factories sometimes contaminate food products. And, unlike other strains of bacteria, listeriosis multiplies in foods stored in the refrigerator.
When food products contaminated by listeria are consumed, distressful and sometimes severe symptoms can result in the form of listeriosis. The common symptoms of listeriosis include muscle aches, fever, and diarrhea. However, if the infection spreads to the nervous system, the symptoms can become more serious. A stiff neck, seizures, the sudden inability to balance, mental confusion, and headache are all symptoms of listeriosis.
If you have any questions about listeriosis, the Whole Foods recall, or would like to discuss a potential food poisoning case, contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901.