Condé Nast
There’s a large recall affecting bagged salads in 10 states. Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. voluntarily initiated the bagged salad recall affecting four brands due to the risk of listeria contamination, according to an announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. The company decided to recall the salad products on October 29, 2021, after a bag of salad tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, the pathogen that causes the potentially foodborne illness listeriosis.
Specifically, the salad recall includes specific lots of four bagged garden salad products produced by Dole and sold under multiple brand names. The affected products include Dole Garden Salad (24 oz), Marketside Classic Salad (24 oz), Kroger Brand Garden Salad (12 oz), and Salad Classics Garden Salad (12 oz).
The pre-washed and ready-to-eat salads contain iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, and red cabbage. They were distributed in 10 Eastern and Southern states in U.S., including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Not all bags of these products are being recalled—only a “limited number of cases” is affected, according to the FDA notice. All of the recalled bags have a best if used by date of October 25, 2021, meaning they should no longer be available at grocery stores. However, consumers who have already purchased the salads may still have them in their fridges.
Officials discovered the risk of contamination when a random sample test of a single bagged garden salad, conducted by the Department of Agriculture in Georgia, came back positive for Listeria monocytogenes. There are no reports of illness associated with the recalled products, according to the FDA. Dole describes the salad recall as “precautionary.” The company noted that it’s working closely with regulatory officials on the issue and that no other products made or sold by Dole are affected by the recall.
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