The FDA has assigned its most serious recall classification to nearly 56,000 pounds of frozen blueberries distributed across four states and Canada after possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria capable of causing severe illness and death.
Oregon Potato Company, the Salem, Oregon-based parent company of Willamette Valley Fruit Company, first initiated the voluntary recall on February 12th.
Federal regulators reviewed the company’s enforcement filing and upgraded the action to a Class I recall on February 24th. Class I is the FDA’s highest designation, reserved for situations where there is a reasonable probability that consuming the affected product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
The recalled product is 55,689 pounds of IQF, individually quick-frozen, blueberries. The fruit was packed in 30-pound corrugated cases with polyethylene liners and in 1,400-pound industrial totes.
Affected case lot numbers are 2055 B2, 2065 B1, and 2065 B3. Affected tote lot numbers are 3305 A1 and 3305 B1.
Were The Affected Blueberries Sold In Stores?
The blueberries were not sold directly to consumers through retail stores. They were distributed in bulk to commercial customers in Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, and to recipients in Canada.
Listeria monocytogenes is what makes this particularly serious. Unlike most foodborne pathogens, Listeria can survive and continue to grow at refrigerator and freezer temperatures.
Freezing does not eliminate it. The bacteria is found naturally in soil, water, sewage, rotting vegetation, and animals, and once it contaminates a food processing environment it can be difficult to eradicate.
The CDC identifies invasive listeriosis symptoms as fever, muscle aches, headache, loss of balance, and convulsions. The illness can progress to meningitis and septicemia.
Pregnant women, newborns, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of severe outcomes. For healthy adults, exposure may cause milder gastrointestinal symptoms, but the bacteria has proven fatal in vulnerable populations.
Oregon Potato Company told reporters that the recall was initiated out of an abundance of caution following routine product testing and that the company has since located and accounted for all 55,000-plus pounds of the affected product.
The company is working directly with its commercial customers and the FDA on the return or destruction of the recalled blueberries. A food safety and quality assurance manager for the company confirmed to local news that all affected fruit has been accounted for.
The FDA has not reported any confirmed illnesses linked to this recall as of today.
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the affected product and develops symptoms consistent with listeriosis is advised to contact a healthcare provider immediately, as symptoms can appear anywhere from a few days to several weeks after exposure.
Healthcare providers and consumers can report adverse reactions or product issues to the FDA’s main emergency line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD, or by filing a Voluntary MedWatch report through the FDA’s online portal.
