More than a dozen vegetables including peppers, cucumbers and squash have been recalled due to possible contamination with listeria.
The recall affects produce sold at select Walmart and Aldi stores, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release Monday. It is an expansion of the Wiers Farm July 12 recall.
The original recall was for a limited number of whole cucumbers and bagged salad cucumbers. The product was not grown or harvested by Wiers Farm, but was “handled and distributed” by the company, the FDA said.
Retail packaged items such as poblanos, cubanelles, green beans, organic bell peppers, serranos, jalapenos and squash are included in the expanded recall, according to the updated news release. The items were sold at Aldi and Walmart locations in states including Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Connecticut. The full list can be viewed here.
“ALDI puts the safety and integrity of the products it sells first,” the company said in a news release. “If customers have products affected by this recall, they are advised to discard it immediately or return it to their local store for a full refund.”
A Walmart spokesperson told NBC News on Friday the contaminated products have been removed from the stores and the company is “working with the supplier to investigate the cause.”
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” the spokesperson said.
Bulk vegetable items sold individually or by the pound, as well as bulk herbs including cilantro and parsley, have also been recalled.
Listeria, a bacteria that can contaminate many foods, most often causes sickness in pregnant women, newborns, people with a weakened immune system or people age 65 or older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It can cause intestinal illness such as diarrhea and vomiting that typically starts 24 hours after exposure, the CDC said. If the bacteria spreads beyond the intestines, symptoms can include fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures. The CDC estimates that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States.
The FDA said there have been no illnesses or consumer complaints reported due to the contamination.
