Growers Express expands recall; doesn’t name vegetable supplier

Growers Express is again telling consumers to toss out certain fresh vegetable products because of a test result showing Listeria contamination, but it’s not telling them who supplied the implicated vegetables.

In an expansion to a July 1 recall, Growers Express is recalling four products involving Brussels sprouts, green beans and cauliflower. (See chart below.) The brands involved are Green Giant, Growers Express and Peak.

“After further testing of an additional product lot from the suspected source of the recall, a single retail sample was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes,” according to the Growers Express recall notice.

The products originated from a Growers Express production facility in Biddeford, ME, and were distributed to Massachusetts and Maine. The same production plant prepared the long list of fresh vegetable products Growers Express recalled on July 1. That recall did not name the vegetable supplier. Neither dose the recall expansion.

“Growers Express is no longer sourcing vegetables from the suspected cause of the contamination,” is the only reference to the supplier in the recall notice.

There are no reported illnesses to date in relation to the products recalled by Growers Express. Consumers who purchased any of the recalled products from the affected “best by” or “pack dates” or with an unreadable date code are urged not to consume them and to throw the products away, the recall notice says. “Please refer to the toll-free number listed on each package with any questions or requests for refund. Visit www.GrowersExpress.com/voluntaryrecall for the most up-to-date information.”

About Listeria infections
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical treatment and tell their doctors about the possible Listeria exposure.

Also, anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product should monitor themselves for symptoms during the coming weeks because it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to develop. 

Symptoms of Listeria infection can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are required to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other illnesses. 

Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people such as cancer patients who have weakened immune systems are particularly at risk of serious illnesses, life-threatening infections and other complications. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

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