There’s never a good time for a food recall, but one of the worst is during a major holiday period like Thanksgiving when families gather en masse over home-cooked meals. Just before this week’s holidays, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a notice for a recall involving over 72,000 pounds of chicken and meat products due to a deadly Listeria outbreak.
Now, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have posted additional notices about the recalls, including eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Here’s what you need to know about the latest recalls.
What are the reasons for the recalls?
On Wednesday and Thursday, the CDC posted notices of three additional food recalls due to fears of possible Salmonella and Listeria contamination. From the information available, it does not seem like any of the new recalls are linked with each other, nor do they appear to be linked with last week’s chicken and meat recall.
The three recalls cover three different types of products. One recall involves Kirkland Signature organic eggs sold at Costco, which may be contaminated with Salmonella. The next recall involves dozens of ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products that officials fear may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Finally, the third recall involves whole cucumbers, which officials are concerned may be contaminated with Salmonella and were sold in states across the country.
Kirkland Signature Egg recall
On Wednesday, a CDC notice announced that Handsome Brook Farms was voluntarily recalling 10,800 retail units of eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
The eggs were sold under the Kirkland Signature brand with the product name Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs. The recalled eggs have the UPC code 9661910680 printed on the package, but only packages with the Julian code 327 and a Use By Date of Jan 5, 2025, are included in the recall, according to the notice.
The eggs were reportedly sold in 25 Costco stores in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee starting on Friday, November 22, 2024.
The label and product markings for the recalled eggs can be viewed here.
Ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable recall
On Wednesday, Gracie’s Kitchens of New Haven, Connecticut, announced it was recalling dozens of its ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products after it was discovered they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The ready-to-eat products came in different packaging sizes and were sold under three brand names:
- Gracie’s Kitchens
- King Kullen
- Wild By Nature
The recalled products include everything from peppers & onions to cantaloupe slices to Fajita mixes. You can find a full list of the recalled products on the CDC notice here and see their product labels here.
SunFed cucumber recall
On Tuesday, SunFed Produce LLC announced it was recalling all sizes of its whole fresh American cucumbers that were packaged in bulk cardboard containers due to fears of potential Salmonella contamination.
SundFed says the containers were “labeled with the “SunFed” label or in a generic white box or black plastic crate with a sticker that provides the implicated grower’s name, “Agrotato, S.A. de C.V.,” according to the notice posted on the CDC’s website.
The recalled cucumbers were sold in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. They were also sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, Canada. However, the notice states the recalled produce may have made it into other states as well.
Photos of the recalled cucumbers, their packaging, and their labeling can be found here.
Has anyone been harmed by consuming the recalled products?
As of the time of this writing, no known illnesses have been reported.
What are the symptoms of a Listeria infection?
According to the CDC, short-term symptoms of a Listeria infection in otherwise healthy adults include “high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.”
However, Listeria can also cause serious and fatal infections in people who are elderly, frail, have weakened immune systems, or who are newborns. The infection can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages in pregnant women.
What are the symptoms of a Salmonella infection?
Signs of a Salmonella infection in otherwise healthy persons include “fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain,” according to the CDC. But if the bacteria gets into the bloodstream, it can cause more serious complications, including “arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis,” the agency notes.
What should I do if I have the recalled products?
Do not consume them; instead, dispose of them. The Sunfed and Handsome Brook Farms notices also say the recalled products can be returned to the place of purchase.
Consumers should also clean and sanitize any surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled products.