After its initial recall of 11 frozen vegetable items last April 23, CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington expanded their list of recalled frozen organic and traditional fruits and vegetables due to possible listeria contamination.
The expanded recall list now include all of the frozen organic and traditional fruit and vegetable products manufactured or processed in CRF Frozen Foods' Pasco facility since May 1, 2014, which have best before date or sell by dates between April 26, 2016 and April 26, 2018.
The new list now includes approximately 358 consumer products sold under 42 separate brands.
Products include organic and non-organic broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, green beans, Italian beans, kale, leeks, lima beans, onions, peas, pepper strips, potatoes, potato medley, root medley, spinach, sweet potatoes, various vegetable medleys, blends, and stir fry packages, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries.
"We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this expanded recall has caused our customers and consumers who enjoy our products. We are issuing this release to alert consumers not to eat these products," CRF said in a statement. "Consumers who purchased these products may return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund, or simply discard them."
Operation in the CRF Frozen Foods' Pasco facility has already been suspended two days after their initial recall to make way for a thorough review and investigation of the facility.
According to the report from CNN, there are already 7 case of hospitalization due to listeria linked to consuming CRF-manufactured or processed products. Sadly, two of those individuals have passed away, but listeria is not the cause of their death, according to CDC.
Listeriosis or listeria, according to CDC, is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is an important public health problem in the United States, causing approximately 1600 illnesses and 260 deaths every year.