Henry Avocados Recalled In 6 States Over Listeria Contamination

Henry Avocado Corporation, a leading U.S. producer and importer of avocados based in California, announces a voluntary recall of its California-grown whole avocados sold in bulk at retail stores due to potential contamination with the bacterium “Listeria monocytogenes.”

The recalled products include California-grown conventional and organic avocados. These were packed at Henry Avocado Corporation's facility in California and distributed in six states: Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Affected are avocados packed at this facility in late January 2019 and every shipment in this time frame is subject to the recall. On the other hand, avocados imported from Mexico and distributed by Henry Avocado are not subject to the recall and may continue to be sold and consumed.

Henry Avocado is contacting all affected customers to confirm the recalled products are immediately removed from store shelves.

“We are voluntarily recalling our products and taking every action possible to ensure the safety of consumers who eat our avocados,” said Phil Henry, President of Henry Avocado.

For conventional products purchased at retail, consumers can identify the recalled products by the “Bravocado” stickers.

Consumers that have purchased any recalled avocados are urged not to consume them. They must immediately discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with further questions can contact Henry Avocado at (760) 745-6632, Ext 132 or visit www.henryavocado.com/media

Henry Avocado organic products do not carry the “Bravocado” label on the sticker. Instead, these products are labeled “organic” and include “California” on the sticker. Retailers can identify Henry Avocado organic products by the bar code on the stickers.

The company said it took this step out of an abundance of caution due to positive test results on environmental samples taken during a routine government inspection at its California packing facility. It said there are no reported illnesses associated with this recall.

The company described Listeria monocytogenes as an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.

Listeria bacteria is especially a problem in pregnant women because the bacterium can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or a life-threatening infection in a newborn.

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Founded in 1925, Henry Avocado is a family-owned and managed company.