If you love the summer melon and/or you shop at Trader Joe's grocery stores, you might want to be aware of new recalls related to listeria. Despite recent outbreaks from cantaloupe, some farms still appear to be fighting off the deadly bacterium in their crops.
Burch Farms, which on July 15 shipped 580 crates of cantaloupes to Hannaford supermarkets in New York, issued a recall due to possible listeria contamination. Reportedly, the stores have since removed the melons from their shelves. Thankfully, no illnesses related to the melons have been reported, but anyone who purchased the cantaloupes -- which bear a red label and PLU code of 4319 -- should dispose of the melon.
Meanwhile, Trader Joe's is warning customers about more than just melons ...
A company that provides the onions for several of the chain's in-house branded products, Gill's Onions, discovered that their diced onions tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes last week. Grrreat! So, as of Friday, the stores recalled several food items, including Trader Joe's BBQ Chicken Salad (made by Huxtable's Kitchen), Trader Joe's Fresh Mild Salsa, Trader Joe's Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Quinoa & Wheatberry Salad, Trader Joe's Diced Onions, Garlic & Shallots Blend, and Trader Joe's Balela. But the recall only applies to these products sold in certain states and with particular "best by" dates. You can find those details on the Trader Joe's website.
In the meantime, no illnesses have been reported, and these products have been removed from Trader Joe's shelves and destroyed. Whew. Still, it doesn't hurt for consumers to be cognizant of the threat. And with hope, both Burch and Gill's are going to get to the bottom of what lead to this potentially deadly contamination.
Are you frustrated by recalls like this?
Image via Evan Bench/Flickr
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Comments 3
HS - People don't buy organic just so they can avoid food recalls. That's not even a part of why I buy organic at all. I'm fully aware that anything I buy in the store, organic or not, could end up contaminated. I buy organic to avoid pesticides. "Organic" claims are not arbitrary. To be labeled organic, it has to be....organic. Imagine that. It's regulated and it costs a lot of money to be certified. "Natural" would be the label that means nothing. If caring about the food I put into mine and my family's bodies makes me a schmuck, then I guess I'm a schmuck. :)
Yes, recalls are frustrating. Always. We don't have any Trader Joe's near us so we're not affected here. I'm glad no illnesses have been reported yet.