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By: Jack Phillips
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last Tuesday issued a “food safety alert” about a bacterial outbreak across seven states.
Whole peaches, nectarines, and plums from HMC Farms or Signature Farms were recalled due to 11 known illnesses, 10 hospitalizations, and one death in the listeria outbreak, according to the health agency. The products were sold in stores between May 1 and Nov. 15 in 2022 and 2023, it said.
“Investigators are working to determine if any additional fruit or products made with this fruit may be contaminated,” the CDC said.
Kingsburg, California-based HMC Farms announced the recall last week in a notice that was posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency said it found listeria in a sample it had tested in late October.
“Although the recalled fruit is no longer available in retail stores, consumers may have frozen the recalled fruit at home for later use. Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled fruit, not consume it, and discard it,” the FDA said.
The CDC also advises that anyone who has recalled fruit should throw it out and clean contains and surfaces that may have come into contact with the fruit, including inside a refrigerator.
As of Nov. 17, the people who were sickened were located in seven states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, and Ohio, the CDC said. The lone death was reported in California, and another woman became sick while pregnant and had a preterm labor, it said.
The agency warned that listeria, caused by Listeria monocytogenes, is “especially harmful” to pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, or individuals aged 65 and older. It said that listeria is more likely to spread past the lower intestine to other parts of the body, which can trigger a “severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.”
It also warned that pregnant women who contract the bacteria can suffer a pregnancy loss, a life-threatening illness, or a preterm delivery of the child.
“For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death,” the CDC said.
On Monday, a spokesperson for HMC Farms told the New York Times: “Our hearts go out to those affected by the outbreak. We are working tirelessly with the F.D.A. to investigate how the contamination happened.”
The recall notice and CDC alert drew a notice from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which cited data showing that “Americans 65 and older are four times as likely as others to get a listeria infection.”
What Fruit Is Impacted?
According to the FDA notice, the recall includes conventionally grown fruit. No organic fruit is subject to the recall.
The recalled fruit had the following numbers, yellow peach: 4044 or 4038; white peach: 4401; yellow nectarine: 4036 or 4378; white nectarine: 3035; red plum: 4042; and black plum: 4040.
Symptoms
The symptoms of the bacterial infection tend to start about two weeks after eating contaminated food, the agency said, although it can sometimes start the same day or a short while after.
For most people, they develop a fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness, the CDC says on its website.
However, if “the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions,” it warned.
