These Salads Should be Tossed, Says FDA

If you follow the use-by date on the food you buy, a recall of bagged salads made by Dole Fresh Vegetables and sold at Kroger and Walmart stores in six states — including Georgia — won't matter much.

The products being recalled are:

• Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme coded N158 211B 1613 KR04 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91039,
• Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine coded N158 111B KR11 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91046
• Walmart Marketside Leafy Romaine coded N158111B with Use-by date of June19 and UPC code 81131 02781

The recall is due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

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The Product Code and Use-by date are in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode. The salads were distributed in six U.S. states (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).

No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. This precautionary recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which a sample of Marketside Leafy Romaine salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test conducted by the State of North Carolina.

No other Walmart Marketside, or Kroger Fresh Selections salads are included in the recall. Only the specific Product Codes, UPC codes and June 19, 2012 Use-by date identified above are included in the recall.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that consumers who have any of the bags with these Product Codes should not eat the salad, but rather discard it. Retailers and consumers with questions may call the Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111, which is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (PDT) Monday - Friday.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.