Over 400 products, including sandwiches, salads, snacks, yogurt, and wraps that were sold under various brand names have been recalled over potential contamination with listeria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Feb. 3.
The products were sold by Baltimore-based Fresh Ideation Food Group between Jan. 24, 2023, through Jan. 30, 2023, according to the FDA, and also include breakfast muffins, croissants, wraps, and an array of fruits as well as noodle bowls and a string of other items.
Brands names included in the recall are Bistro to Go, InReach, Naval Academy 1845 Coffee, Orchard Bistro, Westin Label, and more.
A full list of the recalled products can be found here.
According to the FDA’s announcement, the recalled products were distributed in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.
They were sold in retail locations, vending machines, and during travel with transportation providers, the FDA said.
The products were recalled after the company’s environmental samples tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, according to the FDA.
Listeria is a serious infection that can be caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium listeria monocytogenes, most commonly in improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Infection can lead to symptoms that typically begin within 24 hours and include high fever, headache, diarrhea, and nausea, although the severity of symptoms depends on the individual infected and which part of the body is affected.
Listeria is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC, and can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in those individuals.
In pregnant women, infection typically results in miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
Around 1,600 people contract listeria each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
The FDA said that the recalled products have a Fresh Creative Cuisine label and/or identifier on the bottom of the label with the Fresh Creative Cuisine name and a fresh through or sell-through date ranging from Jan. 31, 2023, through Feb. 6, 2023.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
Customers who have purchased any of the recalled products are asked to contact Fresh Ideation Food Group.
A total of four listeria outbreak investigations were led by the CDC in 2022 and were linked to Enoki Mushrooms across California, Nevada, and Michigan, Deli Meat and Cheese in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
In November, officials said that one of the individuals who contracted listeria tied to the deli meat and cheese was a pregnant woman who became sick and lost her child.
Investigations into those two outbreaks are ongoing.
Cases of listeria tied to another outbreak linked to brie and Camembert cheeses were discovered by the CDC in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas.
A fourth outbreak was linked to ice cream sold or served at Big Olaf retailers, restaurants, and senior homes in Florida, and cases tied to that outbreak were discovered across 11 states including Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, New York.
Hey FDA – FUCK YOU!