The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling a number of refrigerated, ready-to-eat products due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.  Products include a variety of prepared salads, coleslaw, and spreads, all of which came from the Topeka, Kansas manufacturing facility for Reser’s Fine Foods.  Along with this recall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that Taylor Farms is recalling approximately 5,000 pounds of broccoli salad kit products, which include a packet of salad dressing that is part of the FDA recall.

CNN reports that this recall covers various sizes of the Taylor Farms Broccoli Crunch with Bacon and Dressing as well as 109,000 cases of ready-to-eat products from Reser’s.  Taylor Farms approached the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to inform them that Taylor Farms’ kits contained salad dressing subject to that recall.  The kits were shipped to distributors and delis for consumer purchase in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.  A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, often preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.  Almost everyone who is diagnosed with listeriosis has invasive infection (meaning that the bacteria spread from their intestines to the bloodstream or other body sites).  Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.  If a person has eaten food contaminated with Listeria bacteria and does not have any symptoms, most experts believe that no tests or treatment are needed.

Earlier this year, the CDC identified a multistate outbreak of listeria related to contaminated cheese.  There were a total of six cases in five states and all six cases were serious enough to require hospitalization.  One of the patients died and another patient was pregnant and had a miscarriage.  A collaborative investigation by local and state public health and regulatory agencies, CDC, the FDA indicated that Les Frères, Petit Frère, and Petit Frère with Truffles cheeses made by Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company were the likely sources of this outbreak.  Prior to the investigation reaching this conclusion, Crave Brothers had already voluntarily recalled the products.

The largest outbreak of listeria came in 2011, reports an earlier National Monitor article.  There was a multistate outbreak of listeria that infected 147 and killed 33.  The outbreak included five subtypes of listeria associated with the same outbreak and spread out over 28 states.  Illnesses started at the end of July 2011 and resulted in the owners of the farm that produced contaminated products being charged with federal crimes.