Grab-and-go food items locations across California, Arizona, Nevada and Washington state have been recalled after at least 10 people were sickened and hospitalized from a suspected listeria outbreak linked to the Fresh & Ready Foods company.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced over the weekend that federal, state and local authorities have reopened an investigation into a suspected outbreak that initially was flagged last year. Prior efforts failed to identify a source of the Listeria monocytogenes, but Fresh & Ready equipment tested positive for the same strain during a recent FDA site inspection.
The FDA recommended that potentially contaminated products should not be eaten or sold, and distributors should clean and sanitize to prevent cross-contamination.
“FDA’s investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available,” the agency said in its advisory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1,600 people are infected with and 260 people die from Listeria each year.
A listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats last year killed at least 10 people and affected dozens more across 19 states.
The 10 people hospitalized from the recent Fresh & Ready Foods outbreak were all in Nevada and California, but the FDA didn’t provide details about their current conditions.
The FDA identified potentially contaminated products, which include breakfast burritos, assorted snack packs and deli-style sandwiches, as being sold in vending machines, convenience stores, airports and other quick-grab locations under the brands Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go and Fresh Take Crave Away. All have “use by” dates of May 19 or earlier.
Most people who come into contact with listeria suffer mild symptoms, like nausea, diarrhea and fever, but pregnant women, young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to more serious illness.
