Another pasta dish is under recall in four states due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Giant Eagle is voluntarily recalling its Smoked Mozzarella Penne Salad.
The pasta salad recall is the latest in a nationwide withdrawal of pre-cooked dishes originating from Nate’s Fine Foods that has infected some 20 people in 15 states.
Of 13 people interviewed, 54 percent reported to the FDA that they had eaten pre-cooked meals, with four naming chicken fettuccine alfredo, and of 20 people with information available, 19 told the FDA they had been hospitalized. Additionally, four deaths have been reported and one illness in a pregnant mother resulted in the loss of a fetus.
Nate’s Fine Foods and Giant Eagle company leaders did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The recalled smoked mozzarella pasta salad is packaged in 4-pound 8-ounce and 9-pound containers, was sold starting on Sept. 25, and expires between Sept. 30 and Oct. 7.
"It is possible that the sudden rise in recalls related to listeria could be originating from food products coming from a facility that has failing or faulty refrigeration," food industry expert and Fruit Slabs CEO Brandon Dorsky told NTD. "If a fridge within the food supply chain is not actually adequately cooled, it could possibly be a friendly environment for listeria and amplifying or even triggering listeria outbreaks."
The FDA describes Lm on its website as an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Because Lm can survive in refrigerated temperatures and spread to other foods and surfaces, the FDA advises anyone who purchased or received the recalled items to be extra vigilant in cleaning and sanitizing in order to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
The FDA is urging consumers who purchased the recalled product not to consume it and return it with a qualifying receipt to their local Giant Eagle or Market District for a refund.
"Giant Eagle also initiated its consumer recall telephone notification process," the FDA said. "The consumer recall process uses purchase data and consumer telephone numbers housed in the myPerks loyalty card database to alert those households that purchased the affected product and have updated telephone contact information in Giant Eagle’s database."