Dole salad recall: Products sold in 26 states at risk of listeria

Possible listeria contamination at Dole’s facilities in Bessemer City, N.C. and Yuma, Ariz. has led the company to recall all of its branded and private label packaged salads.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recalled products can be identified by a lot code beginning with the letters "N" or "Y" in the upper right-hand corner of the package. It will also have a "best if used by" date between Nov. 30, 2021, and Jan. 8, 2022.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the recalled products can be identified by a lot code beginning with the letters “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package. (Source: FDA)

Anyone with the recalled products should not consume them and throw them out immediately. Retailers are also asked to check store shelves and warehouse inventories to make sure none of the recalled products are available to customers.

Dole is also suspending operations at both facilities to conduct extensive cleaning and sanitization. Scientists from Georgia and Michigan detected listeria monocytogenes in a single package of garden salad produced in the Bessemer City facility and a single package of shredded iceberg lettuce produced in Yuma.

In October, the Georgia Department of Agriculture tested a random sample of garden salad — which came back positive for listeria monocytogenes.

In the latest recall, salad items from Bessemer City were distributed to Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennslyvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the recalled products have a "best if used by" date between Nov. 30 and Jan. 8, 2022. (Source: FDA)

Products from Yuma were sold in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennslyvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food contaminated with listeria bacteria can lead to complications for newborns, adults over 65 years and those with weakened immune systems. The strain detected in Dole’s products is a genetic match for the strain that was responsible for 16 illnesses since 2014.

Dole stresses that products from its facilities in Springfield, Ohio (lot codes beginning with "W") or Soledad, Calif. (lot codes beginning with "B") are not included in this recall. 

Earlier this week, some Fresh Express salad products sold in 19 U.S. states were also recalled over the risk of listeria contamination. 

This story was reported from Atlanta.