Listeria Prompts Recall of 42 Brands of Frozen Fruits and Veggies

Organic by Nature is one of the 42 companies affected in the recall. CRF photo.

CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Wash. has issued an expansion to its earlier voluntary recall of frozen organic and traditional fruits and vegetables.

The recall is result of the potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, known to cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the frail and elderly, and others with weakened immune systems.

All frozen organic traditional fruit and vegetable products manufactured at CRF Frozen Foods’ Pasco facility since May 1, 2014 are included in the recall. The recall includes 358 products under 42 separate brands.

The products range from organic and non-organic selections of broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, green beans, Italian beans, kale, leeks, lima beans, onions, peas, pepper strips, potatoes, potato medley, root medley, spinach, sweet potatoes, various vegetable medleys, blends, and stir fry packages, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries.

CRF says the products were packaged under various labels.

Products affected were sold in all 50 states, as well as in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

“We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this expanded recall has caused our customers and consumers who enjoy our products,” CRF Frozen Foods said in a company statement.

The company suspended operations at its Pasco facility on April 25 after issuing an initial voluntary recall

Symptoms of Listeria infections include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

CRF says that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has informed the company that the government has identified seven people from three states who became ill and were hospitalized due to Listeria.

“Some of these illnesses have been linked to consuming CRF-manufactured or processed products. CDC also informed us that, sadly, two of these individuals later died, but that Listeria was not the cause of death in either person,” a company statement on the United States Food and Drug Administration read.

Customers should not eat the products, but instead, return the item to the store where they were purchased for a refund, or just throw them away.

Those with questions should call the company’s consumer hotline at 844-483-3866, Monday through Friday, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hawai’i time.

Click here to see the pull list of affected products.