Fruit sold at Walmart, Costco and Aldi recalled because of Listeria concerns, FDA says
Thousands of pieces of fruit have been recalled by a New York company, according to a news release from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The fruit — peaches, plums and nectarines — are being recalled because “they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria,” the FDA said in the news release.
The fruit from Jac. Vandenberg, Inc. was distributed in 18 states, where it was sold at supermarkets and grocery stores, including Walmart, Costco, Aldi, Hannaford, Market Basket and Fairway Market, per the news release.
Customers who purchased “Fresh Peaches, Fresh Nectarines and Fresh Plums are urged to return” the fruit to the store where they bought it “for a full refund,” according to the FDA’s news release.
The FDA reported the fruit came from Chile, before it was sent to stores in “Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.”
According to the news release:
- “The peaches and nectarines are sold as a bulk retail produce item with PLU sticker (PLU# 4044, 3035, 4378) showing the country of origin of Chile.”
- “The peaches, nectarines and plums sold at ALDI are packaged in a 2-pound bag with the brand Rio Duero, EAN# 7804650090281, 7804650090298, 7804650090304.”
- “The nectarines sold at Costco are packaged in a 4-pound plastic clamshell with the brand Rio Duero, EAN# 7804650090212.”
The FDA said no illnesses have been reported so far because of the potential Listeria contamination. But in the news release it warned Listeria “can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.”
Healthy individuals who become ill because of Listeria will experience “symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea,” adding pregnant women who are infected can suffer “miscarriages and stillbirths,” according to the news release.
The N.Y. company has stopped distributing the fruit and an investigation is underway, the FDA said in the news release.
This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 5:04 PM.
