Yet Another Fresh Vegetable Recall, Multiple Brands and Stores

By Daisy Luther

Yep, another recall.

A number of fresh vegetables sold by stores like Trader Joe’s and Food Lion have been recalled after state inspectors discovered Listeria monocytogenes in a sample. Growers Express LLC launched a recall of the products in question from various retailers in dozens of states.

What you need to know about the recall

According to Food Safety News:

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical treatment and tell their doctors about the possible Listeria exposure.

Also, anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products should monitor themselves for symptoms during the coming weeks because it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to develop. (source)

Here’s a list of products and retailers

The chart below has a list of products that have been recalled. If you have questions, you can contact the manufacturer at the toll-free number listed on each package.

It’s interesting to note that these products were all handled at the processing plant and that the problem isn’t with the vegetables themselves, but with the plant. As Cat Ellis mentioned in her article, Here’s Why There Are So Many Food Recalls Lately, the more centralized our food system becomes, the more often we can expect these kinds of problems.

Microorganisms on contaminated food spread to food processing machinery, which then contaminates other food products sharing the same machinery.

Bottom line is, the more centralized our food is, the more industrialized our food is, the more monoculture and CAFO farms there are, the more our food supply is at risk. The Food Safety and Modernization Act has done nothing to prevent or mitigate these risks. It has only burdened small farmers. And food centralization itself has a long and horrible history.

The more produce is handled before it gets to you, the more risk it has of being contaminated. Your best bet is to grow your own gardens. The next best choice is to purchase vegetables from the farmer’s market. Finally, if you purchase them from the grocery store, avoid things that are peeled and cut up for you.

This sure is happening a lot.

This week, we’ve also discussed 16 different brands of dog foods linked to heart disease. Last week our concern was arsenic in bottled water, and the week before that it was E. coli in flour and hepatitis in frozen berries. It sure makes you wonder what food is next and whether you’re eating something from the next recall right now.

What are the symptoms to look for?

Here are the symptoms of a Listeria infection:

Symptoms of Listeria infection can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are required to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other illnesses.

Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people such as cancer patients who have weakened immune systems are particularly at risk of serious illnesses, life-threatening infections and other complications. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. (source)

Do you have any of these products?

I feel like I’m asking this question at least once per week, but do you have any of the products in this most recent recall? Let me know in the comments below.

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, gun-toting blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper, where this article first appeared. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company.  She lives in the mountains of Virginia with her family. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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