Dole Recalls Packaged Salads Due to Possible Listeria Contamination

Dole Fresh Vegetables has voluntarily recalled all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Bessemer City, N.C. and Yuma, Ariz. processing facilities due to a possible Listeria contamination. The recall affects dozens of Dole products, including shredded carrots, coleslaw, and various salad kits, sold at Kroger, Lidl, and additional retailers nationwide.

This massive recall comes just days after the FDA opened an investigation into packaged salad produced by Fresh Express, which was also recalled due to Listeria concerns. To date, that outbreak, which has largely affected the Northeast and Midwest, has led to 10 hospitalizations across multiple states and one death.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the possible Listeria contamination, Dole has temporarily suspended operations at both its Bessemer City and Yuma facilities so they can undergo an extensive cleaning and sanitation process. The cleaning and recall are being carried out in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All of the products that are subject to this recall are identified by a product lot code beginning with the either the letter “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package, and will have a “Best if Used By” date between November 30, 2021, and January 8, 2022. Recalled salad items from the Bessemer City facility were distributed in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Additionally, recalled salad items from the Yuma facility were distributed in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

A partial list of recalled products is below. For the full list, click here.

• Dole 10.2oz Chopped Bacon Caesar Product UPC: 071430000892
• Dole 10.6oz Chopped Greek Product UPC: 071430000885
• Dole 10.7oz Chopped Fiesta Lime Kit Product UPC: 071430000991
• Dole 10.8oz Chop Caesar Kit Product UPC: 071430000847
• Dole 10oz 50/50 Spinach & Spring Mix Blend Clamshell Product UPC: 071430010983
• Dole 10oz Angel Hair Coleslaw Product UPC: 071430009741
• Dole 10oz Baby Spinach Clamshell Product UPC: 071430000168
• Dole 10oz Caesar Kit Product UPC: 071430008065
• Dole 10oz Light Caesar Kit US Product UPC: 071430009253
• Dole 10oz Shredded Carrot Product UPC: 071430000281
• Dole 10oz Spring Mix Clamshell Product UPC: 071430000137
• Dole 10oz Very Veggie Product UPC: 071430010082
• Dole 11.3oz Chop Avocado Ranch Kit Product UPC: 01430000915
• Dole 11.3oz Chop Avocado Ranch Kit Product UPC: 071430000915
• Dole 11.3oz Ultimate Caesar Kit Product UPC: 071430017029
• Dole 11.5 oz Creamy Coleslaw Kit Product UPC: 071430017173
• Dole 11oz Greener Selection Product UPC: 071430009659
• Dole 12.1oz Buffalo Ranch Chopped Kit Product UPC: 071430000946
• Dole 12.2oz Chopped Applewood Bacon Kit Product UPC: 071430001011
• Dole 12.2oz Chopped Sunflower Crunch Kit Product UPC: 071430000342
• Dole 12.9oz Bacon & Bleu Chopped Kit Product UPC: 071430000304
• Dole 12.9oz Chipotle and Cheddar Chopped Kit Product UPC: 071430000311
• Dole 12oz American Blend Product UPC: 071430009338

Consumers who still have any of these products in their refrigerators are urged not to consume them. Instead, they should be discarded immediately. Additionally, Dole retailers have been advised to check store shelves and warehouse inventories to confirm that no recalled product is available for purchase.

While there are dozens of popular items that have been impacted by this recall, no products produced at Dole facilities in Springfield, Ohio (production/lot codes beginning with “W”) or Soledad, Calif. (production/lot codes beginning with “B”) are affected. In addition, no other Dole items, including “ready-to-eat” salad products, fresh fruit, and field-packed fresh vegetables, are part of these voluntary recalls, and are safe to consume.

The decision to suspend operations and recall all products from these facilities was made after analyzing the strain of Listeria isolated in a single package of Dole-branded Garden Salad produced in the Bessemer City facility, and a single package of shredded iceberg lettuce produced in the Yuma facility. Both of those items were randomly sampled by the states of Georgia and Michigan, respectively, and were a genetic match with a strain of Listeria which FDA and CDC believe is responsible for 16 illnesses since 2014.

While Listeria can be treated with antibiotics, it is especially dangerous for pregnant women, the very young, the elderly, and the immune-compromised. Listeria symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal ailments.

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