Another Lettuce-Related Recall Hits at the Holidays
December 22, 2021 Listeria contaminated Fresh Express lettuce identified at its Streamwood, IL, facility is leading to a widespread recall in about a third of the country. The distributor shipped the products through the Midwest and Northeast. Although only 10 hospitalizations have been reported, there has been a death linked to the outbreak, according to the FDA.
Fresh Express is recalling all products with the product codes that begin with Z324 through Z350. That includes more than 200 individual products.
FDA, CDC, as well as state and local investigators are digging into the extent of the contamination and if the facility is indeed the source.
“To date, a positive sample of Fresh Express Sweet Hearts salad mix has been reported to match the outbreak strain. … A sample of Fresh Express prepackaged romaine and sweet butter lettuce was collected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of its routine sampling efforts,” FDA says in its notice on the outbreak.
The Fresh Express recall includes with product codes Z324 through Z350.
While officials do not currently link growing operations to this outbreak, the public will likely still react poorly to another outbreak. The 2018 E. coli outbreak resulted in significant drop in romaine sales fell nearly 45%, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This outbreak is still in the early stages — as of December 22, 2021, CDC does not yet have a page up on the outbreak — so expect to have a steady rise in reported cases.
The pandemic offers another complicating factor. The top five states reporting COVID-19 related hospitalizations are in the Midwest and Northeast. It may result in those suffering from Listeria-related illness avoiding hospitals.
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