The FDA Is Recalling Ready-to-Eat Broccoli Florets Sold at Walmarts Across 20 States

If you recently purchased any broccoli from Walmart, then it's time to check your fridge. 

On December 31, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a recall notice for Braga Fresh's washed and ready-to-eat 12-ounce Marketside Broccoli Florets. The notice stated that the recall was initiated due to the “possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes,” which Texas Health & Human Services discovered during random sampling from a Texas store location. 

The recall notice states that the product has a best-if-used-by date of December 10, 2024, and is no longer in stores. However, it is sending the notice out of an abundance of caution for any consumers who may have purchased the product and put it in their freezers. The notice also adds that no illnesses have been reported in connection with the broccoli to date.

Still, it's important to be cautious and check if it's still in your freezer, as the FDA explained that Listeria monocytogenes is a hardy bacteria that can cause “serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the nation, infecting 1,600 people a year and killing 260. 

Specifically, the recall concerns the 12-ounce bags of Marketside Broccoli Florets sold at Walmart stores. Each bag has the UPC code “6 81131 32884 5” printed on the back, along with the printed “Best if Used by Date Dec 10, 2024” and the lot code “BFFG327A6” on the front.

The product is being recalled across 20 states, including Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

If you did purchase this product and still have it in your freezer, the FDA says it's critical to not consume it and to discard it immediately.