SEATTLE - A Pasco, Washington company has expanded its recall of frozen vegetables linked to a listeria outbreak that has sickened eight people. It affects all 50 states and several Canadian provinces.
The recall includes CRF Frozen Foods products sold in Trader Joe's and the Signature brand sold by Safeway. Many labels target consumers who favor organic foods.
The initial recall issued on April 23 included 15 frozen vegetable items, but the expanded recall covers 358 consumer products sold under 42 separate brands. It includes all organic and traditional frozen vegetable and fruit products processed in the company's Pasco facility since May 1, 2014.
One person from Maryland and one from Washington have died but health officials do not consider listeria to be the cause of death for either person.
Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms may include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
All CRF products affected by the recall have best-by dates or sell-by dates between April 26, 2016 and April 26, 2018. The products include organic and non-organic broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries.
"I think it's inevitable with the amount of food that's being processed in this country, that once and a while there are going to be problems," said shopper Sanda Hohf, outside a Trader Joes in northwest Portland. She says she likes to use fresh vegetables, and avoids frozen ones.
"I'm not surprised, but I'm disappointed," said Peter Wood, another shopper in northwest Portland.
The products being recalled may have been purchased in all 50 states and the following Canadian Provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan. CRF suspended operations at its Pasco facility on April 25, 2016, following the initial voluntary recall. The company also said all retailers who received the products have been contacted.
People who bought CRF products are advised to throw them away. They may also return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund. Consumers with questions may call the company's consumer hotline at 844-483-3866, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.