Another Food Recall! Check The Label On Your Packaged Salads

It's the holiday season. Time for big family meals and, as a time-saver, packaged salad mixes. A word of caution: There are currently several packaged salads that are on recall due to concerns over listeria. And several were sold right here in Massachusetts.

The Food and Drug Administration reports both Fresh Express and Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. have announced a voluntary recall on certain packaged salads due to possible health risks from Listeria monocytogenes.

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Here's the lowdown. First, Fresh Express is recalling 10 brands of salad mixes sold in 19 states, including Massachusetts. In a sample test of one of its products, a positive match to an outbreak strain of listeria was found.

So far, ten people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from eight states. Fresh Express halted production at the facility where the sample bag was produced and is conducting a sanitation check.

In the meantime, bags of salad mix from the facility distributed to states in the Midwest and Northeast have been pulled from shelves. The recall includes all Use-By Dates of fresh salad items with product codes Z324 through Z350.

A full list of Fresh Express products included in the recall including other brands produced by the company(Signature Farms, Giant Eagle, Little Salad Bar, etc.) can be viewed at the FDA's website here.

Also, Dole is recalling all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Bessemer City, NC, and Yuma, AZ processing facilities due to possible health risks from listeria. These products were sold in 21 states, including Massachusetts. Both processing facilities are temporarily shutting down for deep cleaning.

Products subject to the voluntary recall are identified by a product lot code beginning with either the letter “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package and will have a “Best if Used By” date between November 30, 2021, and January 8, 2022.

According to the FDA, Dole retailers have been advised to check store shelves and warehouse inventories to confirm that no recalled product is available for purchase by consumers. For a full list of Dole products on the recall list, please visit the FDA's website here.

Listeria is the bacteria that causes the listeriosis infection, which can cause fever and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Anyone with any of these salads from either brand is urged to throw them out immediately.