(NEXSTAR) – Deli products sold at Kroger supermarkets have been recalled amid concerns over possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
The recall affects Basil Pesto Bowtie Salads and Smoked Mozzarella Penne Salads, according to a company announcement issued over the weekend. The products were sold at deli-counters, by weight, and also in prepackaged portions at self-service cases in 1,860 stores across 28 states, Kroger said.
Kroger initiated the recall earlier this month after being informed by a supplier that the pasta within the salads — which was provided to the supplier by third company, identified as Nate’s Fine Foods of Roseville, California — may have been contaminated, according to the recall alert.
Last week, Albertsons had also identified Nate’s Fine Foods as the provider of pasta used in multiple pasta salads or ready-to-heat meals that had been recalled from Albertsons locations in 15 states.
Kroger said the recalled salads sold at supermarket locations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and West Virginia. The Kroger-owned markets that carried the salads include Kroger, Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, King Soopers, Payless, Ralphs and Smith’s.
Albertsons, meanwhile, had said its recalled products were sold in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. They were sold at Albertsons-owned outlets listed as Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Amigos, Andronico’s Community Markets, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Pak ‘N Save, Pavilions, Market Street, Randalls, Safeway, Tom Thumb, United and Vons.
Neither company had received complaints of adverse reactions before announcing the recalls, they said. (A representative for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was not immediately available to say whether the pasta at the center of the Kroger recall was linked to an ongoing investigation into a fatal listeria outbreak that has been associated with pasta meals sold at several supermarket outlets.)
Both supermarket companies had instructed customers to throw away the affected products or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
“Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider,” the Kroger announcement reads.
Customers with further questions can call Kroger at 1-800-KROGERS, or contact Albertsons’ customer service line at 1-877-723-3929.
Listeriosis, an infection caused by foodborne listeria monocytogenes bacteria, affects roughly 1,600 people each year, around 260 of whom die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those at the highest risk are pregnant women, newborns, young children, those over 65 and those with weakened immune systems. In pregnant women, listeria infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths or preterm labor.
Symptoms of listeria infection include fever and diarrhea, along with headache, stiff neck, nausea, loss of balance, abdominal pain, confusion and convulsions, according to the CDC and FDA. Pregnant women, however, typically have milder symptoms, the CDC says.
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