Vegetable Recall Due to Listeria Concerns Impacts Nine States

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published information about the recall of 30,000 cases of fresh-cut vegetable products by a company out of Texas. According to the recall announcement, the vegetables were shipped to retailers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The potential for contamination came to light after a routine sample was taken from a retail outlet and analyzed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Fortunately, no reports of illnesses had been made to public health authorities at the time of the recall notice. However, even though there are no known illnesses, the cost to the company involved in the recall and the public relations’ challenges they now face are substantial.

“Had anyone become ill, the groups most at risk include pregnant women, seniors and people with a weakened immune system,” said Jason Dobranic, Ph.D., Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that at least 90% of people who get Listeria infections are in a high risk group and these infections can lead to fatalities. In fact, the CDC reports that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning.”

The food scientists at EMSL Analytical, Inc. work to prevent contaminated foods from reaching the public and causing costly product recalls. They help to avert these types of situations from occurring by offering advanced food testing to identify Listeria and other foodborne pathogens. These services are also instrumental in evaluating disinfection procedures at food processing facilities. If an outbreak does occur, testing can facilitate the process of quickly pinpointing its source to prevent further infections.

To learn more about Listeria and other food testing services, please visit www.FoodTestingLab.com or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email  info@EMSL.com .

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental, indoor air quality and materials testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies. 
 

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 856-303-2503

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