Revolution Farms Lettuce Linked to a Listeria Outbreak
The recalled products were sold in several supermarkets, including Fresh Thyme, Meijer, and SpartanNash
Revolution Farms of Caldonia, Mich. said it’s recalling all of its products—various packaged salads and heads of lettuce—due to a risk of listeria contamination.
The recall comes after the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development randomly tested a package of Revolution Farms lettuce for listeria and it came back positive. Subsequently, that product was linked to an outbreak of listeriosis, the illness caused by listeria bacteria. As a result, the company is recalling all 14 of its lettuces and salad kits sold at supermarkets, as well as bulk versions sold to supermarkets and restaurants as a food service product.
Risks of Listeria
An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people who are infected do not become seriously ill. But In vulnerable populations, such as the very young, older adults, or those who are pregnant, or have a weakened immune system, listeriosis can be serious and possibly deadly.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever and diarrhea, and a more invasive infection can cause muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. People with invasive listeriosis notice symptoms between a week and four weeks after eating food contaminated with the bacteria.
Listeria bacteria, which are often found in processing plants, are extremely hard to kill, says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. And once bacteria takes hold on machinery, it can easily spread as food moves through the plant.
“Heating food infected with listeria will kill it, but most people, understandably, don’t want to cook their lettuce,” Rogers says.
