Green beans and butternut squash were recalled by a Florida-based company due to concerns over potential listeria contamination.
Pompano Beach-based Southern Specialties Inc. recalled the bags of vegetables, which are marketed under the Marketside brand name because they could be contaminated with “Listeria monocytogenes,” which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections.
The recalled product was shipped to stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The recall was prompted by a raw material supplier, which notified Southern Specialties that a routine test of a surface tested positive for listeria. None of the products in question have tested positive as of yet.
Three types of Marketside bags are under recall.
Bagged green beans, 32 oz.; UPC number 681131457285; Best if Used By date of 3/9/2019; and lot codes 83931-123 or 83939-124
Bagged green beans, 12 oz.; UPC number 681131328869; Best if Used By date of 3/8/2019; and lot codes 83928-628 or 83932-123
Bagged butternut squash, 16 oz.; UPC number 681131122351; Best if Used By date of 3/6/2019; and lot codes 83940-319 or 83940-139
Anyone with the bags should throw them out or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Anyone with questions can call Southern Specialties at 1-954-876-2453 or visit www.southernspecialties.com.
Listeria
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the listeria bacteria causes listeriosis, a serious infection.
For healthy adults, exposure to low levels of listeria doesn’t cause serious illness. However, the same cannot be said for those with a weaker immune system.
“An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems,” the agency stated.
Symptoms include fever, a stiff neck, confusion, and vomiting.
Washing hands after handling and preparing uncooked foods, rinsing produce thoroughly, keeping meat separate from nonmeat foods, and consuming perishable foods as soon as possible are among preventive measures.
Frozen Meals Recalled
An Ohio-based company has issued a recall of some Boston Market frozen meals over potential contamination by pieces of glass or hard plastic.
Bellisio Foods, a Jackson-based company, recalled approximately 173,376 pounds of frozen pork entrees that could contain foreign matter.
The frozen boneless pork rib patties, which must be heated before consumption, were produced from Dec. 7, 2018, to Feb. 15, 2019, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The 14-ounce cardboard box packages contain “Boston Market Home Style Meals” also stating on the label: “Boneless Pork Rib Shaped Patty with BBQ Sauce and Mashed Potatoes.”
The products in question have “best by” dates of Dec. 7, 2019 (lot code 8341); Jan. 4, 2020 (lot code 9004); Jan. 24, 2020 (lot code 9024); or Feb. 15, 2020 (lot code 9046) on the label.
All the products recalled have the establishment number “EST. 18297” on the end carton flap of the package.
The items were shipped nationwide, including to a Department of Defense facility in Tuscon, Arizona.
