A blueberry recall has been upgraded to the highest possible level over contamination concerns.
Alma Pak International LLC voluntarily recalled 400 boxes, weighing 30 pounds each, of its organic blueberries June 9 because they tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a disease-causing bacteria, during routine testing, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
On Tuesday, the FDA elevated the blueberry recall to a Class I, the highest risk level. A Class I recall is “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” as noted by the FDA.
The recalled blueberries were shipped to a single customer in North Carolina. The affected product can be identified by the Lot numbers: 13325 G1060 / 13325 G 1096.
As noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria is a “bacteria that can contaminate many foods,” with infections caused by eating food with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Although symptoms can vary, a listeria infection “can cause invasive illness and intestinal illness.”
Alma Pak International LLC initially recalled 400 cases of its blueberries in June (Getty Images)
Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, killing roughly 260 people per year.
Many food products in the U.S. have been recently recalled due to a listeria risk. Last month, FreshRealm’s chicken fettuccine alfredo products were recalled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said they may be “adulterated” with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes.
The outbreak resulted in three deaths, as well as one fetal loss, and injured 17 people across 13 states, officials said.
The ready-made meals were shipped to Walmart and Kroger locations nationwide from FreshRealm establishments in San Clemente, California, Montezuma, Georgia, and Indianapolis, Indiana, according to authorities.
Also in June, Bornstein Seafoods Inc issued a recall on 44,550 pounds of its Cooked & Peeled Ready-To-Eat Coldwater Shrimp Meat. This came after a routine sampling detected Listeria monocytogenes in the shrimp.
The last two years have also seen an alarming and unexplained rise in recalls. In 2024, approximately 300 food recalls were issued, with those recalls being linked to nearly 1,400 illnesses, a Public Interest Research Group report revealed.
Out of the 1,400 illnesses, 487 people became sick enough to require hospitalization, and 19 people died. While those numbers are still low when weighed against the entire U.S. population, they are also double the number of hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses in 2023.
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