A listeria outbreak tied to Dole salads has killed two people and sickened 17 others across 13 states, according to an alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The salads, which were recalled by Dole starting in December, include a variety of greens sold in bags or clamshell packaging, according to the CDC, including garden salads, mixed greens and Caesar kits.
The agency says that salads with "Best if used by" dates between Nov. 30, 2021 and Jan. 9 are part of the recall. They'll also carry lot codes, which can be found in the upper right corner of the packaging, that begin with the letters "B," "N," "W" or "Y."
The salads included in the recall are sold under 11 different brand names: Ahold, Dole, HEB, Kroger, Lidl, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature's Promise, President's Choice and Simply Nature.
If you have a salad in your fridge that matches this description, the CDC advises that you either throw it out or return it. The CDC also recommends following these five steps to clean your fridge and any surfaces, since germs from recalled foods can survive in the fridge and spread to other items.
Listeria can cause severe illness if it spreads to other parts of the body beyond the gut. Pregnant people, adults 65 and older and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness.
The CDC says it is also investigating a second listeria outbreak linked to Fresh Express packaged salads. This outbreak was identified in December 2021 and has led to one death and 10 hospitalizations. The recall includes use-by dates that carry product codes Z324 through Z350, according to the CDC. The affected brands include Fresh Express, Bowl & Basket, Giant Eagle, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, O Organics, Signature Farms, Simply Nature, Weis Fresh from the Field and Wellsley Farms Organic.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
