Fresh fruit packs sold at Walmart recalled due to listeria risk
A fruit producer has announced that several of its fresh fruit packs sold at Walmart and RaceTrac have been recalled due to concerns about a listeria risk that has been detected in equipment used near the fruit.
Country Fresh has issued a voluntary recall on various containers of its “Freshness Guaranteed” “cut and/or sliced apples, grapes, mangos, pineapples and cantaloupe distributed by Walmart distribution centers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.” The recall originally was issued for only watermelon items sold at Walmart and RaceTrac’s distribution centers at select stores in five states. Now the recall applies to various fresh fruit packs in the nine states with “best if used by” dates between Oct. 3 and Oct. 11.
“The recall is a precautionary measure due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes detected on equipment used in an area near where these products are packed. FDA discovered these findings during a recent inspection,” according to a statement from the FDA.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes-fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may still suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The list of product codes can be found here, and the item descriptions can be found below:
APPLE GRAPE TRAY w/ CARMEL 2 lbs
GREEN APPLE SLICES 32oz
MIXED APPLE SLICES 32oz
RED APPLE SLICES 14oz
RED APPLE SLICES 32oz
CANTALOUPE CHUNKS 10oz
CANTALOUPE CHUNKS 16oz
SEASONAL FRUIT TRAY 40oz
SUMMER BLEND 5oz
TROPICAL BLEND 5oz
MANGO CHUNK 10oz
MANGO SPEARS 16oz
PINEAPPLE GRAPE MANGO BLEND 16oz
PINEAPPLE CHUNKS 10oz
PINEAPPLE CHUNKS 16oz
PINEAPPLE CHUNKS 42oz
PINEAPPLE SPEARS 32oz
RED GRAPES 10oz
SEASONAL BLEND 10oz
SEASONAL BLEND 16oz
SEASONAL BLEND 32oz
SEASONAL TRIO 32oz
Country Fresh has not received reports of illness, but Walmart has removed all items from its shelves and inventory. If you have questions about the recall, call the company’s customer service line at 1-877-251-8300 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Stephanie has been telling stories her whole life. Her interest in the written word started with short stories and journal entries about run-ins with classroom bullies as a child and matured to writing for her high school newspaper over the years. She has written and edited for The Tennessean, Augusta Chronicle and American City & County.
