Fruit recall expands and U.S. consumers are advised to check carefully labels on fruits before purchase. As fruit recall expands with a Central California company, fruits such as fresh peaches, plums, nectarines and pluots sold in the U.S. are requiring extra caution before purchase due to concerns over possible listeria contamination.
According to ABC 7 News, Wawona Packing Company outside Fresno in Cutler, California has made the decision of a voluntary fruit recall. Apparently, fruits mentioned above may be contaminated with listeria, or Listeria Monocytogenes, a bacterium which causes listeriosis.
Wawona, which made the fruit recall announcement last week, reportedly ships to Costco, Trader Joe's, Kroger and Walmart.
Listeria is a deadly bacteria which can cause serious illness, even death amongst sensitive groups. Those susceptible to the disease are older adults, children, and people with weakened immune systems.
Meanwhile, fruit recall expands as its not only sensitive groups which are susceptible to listeria. According to the Associated Press, the company warned that healthy people may also be affected of listeria.
Infected individuals will experience flu-like symptoms such as high fever, headache, nausea and diarrhea. For pregnant women, listeria can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
President Brent Smittcamp of Wawona announced fruit recall in a statement. Smittcamp said he is not aware of any illnesses caused by the fruit, therefore the voluntary fruit recall was announced after consulting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Smittcamp stated, 'By taking the precautionary step of recalling product, we will minimize even the slightest risk to public health.'
According to ABC 7 News, the initial fruit recall only covered specific lots of fruit packed from Jun. 1 to Jul. 12. The expansion of the fruit recall was announced to be five days, to serve as a precautionary step.
According to the AP, Wawona Packing said the recalled fruit was packed and shipped to retailers including Costco Wholesale Corp., Trader Joe's, Kroger and Walmart from Jun. 1 through Jul. 17. The expansion was in large part due to sources of the virus 'yet to' be 'identified with scientific certainty' at the packaging facility.
The fruit recall came after internal testing at the company's packing house in Cutler, within the community in Tulare County. CNN said scientists found the bacterium on a peach as well as on two nectarines.
Wawona said it shut down its packing together with the fruit recall, and anybody who has the recalled fruits mentioned above should discard them. It is still unknown where the contamination originated, reports the AP.
In the fruit recall statement, Smittcamp said, the national voluntary recall was done because they 'do not know the locations of the companies or stores that received the products from our direct customers.'
Apparently, the recalled fruits have been shipped directly to retailers and wholesalers, who resold the products. The company issued the fruit recall since they are unsure all companies which bought fruit from their wholesalers.
Since the fruit recall, CNN reports that no other products have been packed at the Cutler facility. Meanwhile, the facility will remain closed until the source of the contamination has been determined.
According to Wawona, experts have been brought in already for assistance in the investigation. They are also currently working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The AP confirms that Clovis-based Wawona Frozen Foods is a separate company from Wawona Packing Company outside Fresno in Cutler, California. Wawona Frozen Foods is not involved in the fruit recall.
While the fruit recall involved stores with salsas, tarts, prepared salad and cakes, it is still safer to check a full list on FDA.gov before consumption or purchase.
So far, CNN reports that no one has been reported as getting sick from any of the recalled fruits.
According to the CDC, an estimated 260 deaths and 1,600 people get sick after eating food contaminated with listeriosis.
Fruit recall information including lot codes, labels and pictures to identify the possibly contaminated fruit can be found at Wawona's website, https://www.wawonapacking.com. According to WIVB, consumers can also call 888-232-9912 for more information.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
