Contaminated Frozen Food Outbreak! Millions of Products Recalled Across America Due to Listeria

Recently there has been a massive recall of frozen food products throughout North America due to a listeria contamination that has reportedly killed two people by now! This comes less than a month after an initial recall by some food companies who believe that their products haven’t reached enough people that may be exposed to contamination. The products recalled include some sold from big companies Costco, Costco Canada, Walmart, Safeway and Trader Joe’s.

CRF Frozen Foods

The contaminated frozen food products came from CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington, and included every product processed at the site from May 1, 2014 onwards. The products have since been distributed by over 42 different brands, including Organic by Nature, Panda Express and McCain Foods and sold throughout the USA and Canada. The contaminated products are responsible for 7 hospitalized people and 2 deaths!

The FDA posted a news release on their website as soon as they investigated the matter which stated: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has informed CRF Frozen Foods that the government has identified seven people from three states who became ill and were hospitalized due to Listeria,” reads the companies recall notice. “Some of these illnesses have been linked to consuming CRF-manufactured or processed products, and unfortunately, two people died from their illness.”

Here are some of the products that were recalled due to listeria contamination:

Organic and non-organic broccoli
Butternut squash
Carrots
Cauliflower
Corn
Various beans
Kale
Leeks
Onions
Peas
Pepper strips
Potatoes and sweet potatoes
Spinach
Various vegetable medleys, blends, and stir fry packages
Various berries (blueberries, cranberries, strawberries etc.)
Cherries
Peaches

The press release comes a short time after an initial recall notice by CRF Frozen Foods issued on April 23rd, 2016, when they recalled 15 frozen food products. In the end, they have recalled 20 times that amount!

Since the products contaminated were frozen foods, CRF Frozen Foods felt the need to reiterate its recall due to the fact the produce’s long shelf-life may mean that contaminated food may still be in some customer’s freezers. “We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this expanded recall has caused our customers and consumers who enjoy our products. We are issuing this release to alert consumers not to eat these products,” the company stated in their press release.