Dole recalls some salad kits over potential listeria contamination

Dole Fresh Vegetables is recalling certain salad kits over concerns that they may be contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria.

The California-based company is pulling a limited number of Dole-branded and private-label salad kits from the market because they were processed on the same line as the cheese that has been recalled from manufacturer Rizo-Lopez Foods, according to a recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Dole said salad kits sold under its brand name and the President’s Choice and Marketside brands have been impacted “due to the potential for cross-contamination of cheese contained in certain masterpacks by cheese potentially contaminated” with listeria from its packed cheese supplier.

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“Consumers who still have any of these products in their refrigerators or freezers are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately,” Dole said. 

The company said that it was unaware of any specific illnesses that have been tied to its products in particular. 

The multistate outbreak of more than two dozen listeria infections that have been linked to queso fresco and cotija cheese made by Rizo-Lopez Foods has prompted the recall of over 100 products in recent weeks. 

Earlier this month, the FDA reported that a sample taken during an on-site inspection at Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. tested positive for the same strain of listeria monocytogenes that is causing illnesses in this outbreak. 

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The FDA’s update came shortly after a sample of Rizo Bros Aged Cotija tested positive for listeria monocytogenes during a sampling conducted by the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch in January.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is also investigating the outbreak, said infections with this particular strain have been reported since 2014. 

The agency investigated outbreaks in 2017 and 2021. In previous investigations, officials had been able to identify queso fresco and other similar cheeses as a potential source of the outbreak, but there was never enough information to tie it to a specific brand until now.

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As of Feb. 6, two dozen people have been infected across 11 states from June 15, 2014, to Dec. 10, 2023. Health officials warned that the number of illnesses “is likely higher than the number reported,” given that some people recover without medical care.

Of the people with information available, 23 have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. Two people have died, one from California and another from Texas.  

To date, about 113 products are on the FDA’s continuously updated recall list tied to the outbreak.