First, it was onions that we had to look out for. Now, it’s lemons, limes, oranges and red potatoes.
That’s right. This month, the produce warehouse Freshouse II, LLC announced a voluntary recall of lemons, limes, red potatoes, and oranges. The company had shipped the possibly contaminated produce and veggies to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia.
The produce in question is potentially contaminated with bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a serious foodborne illness, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and has been sold under the brand names Freshouse, Nature’s Promise, Fresh from the Start, and Wegmans. This news comes a little more than a week after we reported on the nationwide onion recall due to a salmonella outbreak.
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria was found on a piece of equipment that processes produce in the Freshouse warehouse, according to the company’s recall announcement.
If you’re in one of the affected states, the FDA outlined steps to take to check your produce. First, look for the brand, the number under the barcode (if the produce has one), and, if available, the trace number printed on the tag or clip attached to the opening end of the produce bag. If your produce matches anything on the FDA’s recall table, toss it or take it back to the store for a refund.
Specific details and pictures of the affected fruits and vegetables can be found here.
In general, healthy people rarely contract a serious illness from eating listeria-contaminated food, the Mayo Clinic says. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria infections pose the greatest risk to pregnant people, newborns, people over 65, and people with weakened immune systems.
Similar to other foodborne illnesses, a listeria infection often causes fever and diarrhea, the CDC says. Other symptoms include muscle aches, chills, and nausea. If the infection spreads to your nervous system, you may experience
a stiff neck, headache, confusion, and dizziness, according to the Mayo Clinic. Pregnant people may not experience severe symptoms themselves, but a listeria infection can be devastating to the fetus, sometimes causing miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or life-threatening infection within a few days of being born.
According to the CDC, a doctor will diagnose listeriosis when a bacterial culture grows Listeria monocytogenes from a body tissue or fluid. Treatment varies depending on how severe the symptoms are. People with mild symptoms are usually advised to just wait it out, but more serious cases require antibiotics. During pregnancy, prompt antibiotic treatment can keep the fetus from contracting the infection, the Mayo Clinic says.
If you’ve eaten potentially contaminated food or are experiencing any of the above symptoms of listeriosis, check in with your doctor.
The onions that were recalled earlier this summer are still being watched closely.
So far, over 500 people have become sick across the country and 60 of them have been hospitalized in 34 states, according to recent data from the CDC.
The four states with the highest number of reported infections are Oregon, Utah, California, and Montana
Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and other symptoms. Most people tend to recover without treatment.
States with discovered Salmonella Newport strains:
-Alaska
-Arizona
-California
-Colorado
-Florida
-Idaho
-Illinois
-Indiana
-Iowa
-Kansas
-Kentucky
-Maine
-Maryland
-Michigan
-Minnesota
-Missouri
-Montana
-Nebraska
-Nevada
-New York
-North Carolina
-North Dakota
-Ohio
-Oregon
-Pennsylvania
-South Carolina
-South Dakota
-Tennessee
-Texas
-Utah
-Virginia
-Washington
-Wisconsin
-Wyoming
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