First it was onions and now, it’s lemons, limes, oranges, and red potatoes.
The FDA has announced a voluntary recall by Freshouse II LLC due to potential listeria contamination.
The recall was issued after Freshouse found Listeria monocytogenes on a piece of equipment at one of its packing facilities, according to a statement on the FDA website.
“We voluntarily issued this recall out of an abundance of caution with the steadfast intent to minimize even the slightest risk to public health,” Freshouse President Jamey Friedman said in a statement.
The recalled products were shipped directly to retailer distribution centers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia and to wholesalers in Maryland and North Carolina. Affected products include Freshouse limes, Nature’s Promise Organic limes, Fresh from the Start red potatoes and lemons, as well as Wegmans lemons and California Valencia oranges.
This is the second such voluntary recall of produce this month.
On August 1, the FDA warned consumers not to eat red, white, yellow, and sweet onions from Thomson International, Inc. due to a possible salmonella contamination.
The onions, which were sold at stores including Walmart, Kroger, and Publix, caused 640 people in 43 states to be infected with salmonella, with at least 85 of them being hospitalized.
For the lemons, limes, oranges, and potatoes, no illnesses have been reported, according to the FDA.
Freshouse says they have ceased production and distribution of the products and “are continually evaluating our cleaning and sanitation regimes.”
Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, according to the FDA.
