A popular brand of salad kits sold in stores around North Carolina has been recalled amid an ongoing outbreak that could make you sick.
Dole Fresh Vegetables has issued a voluntary recall for several salad kits that were processed on the same line as a cheese that was recently recalled by Rizo-Lopez Foods for possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes, according to a recall notice from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Anyone who has purchased the affected products is encouraged not to consumer it and to "discard it immediately."
The recall affects the following Dole Brand salad kits: Chopped Kit Avocado Ranch (UPC 71430000195), Chop Kit Avocado Ranch Chop Kit Ranch A L'Avocat (UPC 71430000922), Premium Kit Southwest Salad (UPC 71430017012), Cajun Ranch Chopped Kit (UPC 714300002063), Premium Kit Endless Summer (UPC 71430010730), Supreme Kit Southwest Salad Supreme Kit Salade Du Sud-Quest (71430017111). Additionally, the President's Choice Brand Southwest Salad Kit Sud-Quest Kit de Salade (UPC 60383023195) and Marketside Brand Chopped Salad Kit Bacon Ranch Crunch (UPC 681131305440) were also included in the recall. All products have a best by date that falls within February 2024.
The recalled salads were sold in stores in several states, including: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria that can cause listeria, or listeriosis, a serious and sometimes fatal infection that can cause severe illness in high-risk groups like children, the elderly, those who are pregnant and persons with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
To see more information about the recall, such as the lot codes of the affected products as well as product images, visit fda.gov.