Dole Recall: Check Your Homes For These Salads With Possible Listeria Health Risk

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling certain garden salad products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

A single sample of garden salad tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes during a random sample test by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the company announcement posted on the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website noted. As such, even if the products are already past the "best if used by" date and thus are likely no longer on store shelves, consumers are being urged to check their homes if they may have bought it and still have it.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that may even be fatal in certain people such as young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Listeria infections are said to be "most likely" to affect these groups as well as pregnant women, in whom the illness may result in miscarriages and stillbirths.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that about 1,600 people in the U.S. get listeriosis each year. With the harmful bacteria able to "hide" in many foods, some foods that are more likely to contain listeria include soft cheeses made with unpasteurized or raw milk, raw sprout, melons and cold cuts.

In the case of the current recall, there haven't been any reported illnesses related to the issuance so far, the announcement noted. This "precautionary recall" affects four specific products: 24-ounce Dole Garden Salad, 24-ounce Marketside Classic Salad, 12-ounce Kroger Brand Garden Salad and 12-ounce Salad Classics Garden Salad. The specific Lot codes and UPC Codes of affected products are listed on the FDA website, and they all have a "best if used by" date of "10-25-21."

"No other Dole products (or products manufactured by Dole) are included in the recall," the company announcement noted.

These products were distributed in 10 states namely Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Images of the products' packaging are also available on both the FDA and Dole websites.

Those who find that they still have the affected product in their homes are being advised to not eat it, and instead discard it.