Frozen Foods Recall [April 2016]

It’s trending...a precautionary, frozen foods recall over possible Listeria contamination that spans all 50 states and parts of Canada. So, what’s TKG to do, but post 4 important questions AND resources about the recall. Let's avoid panic, be resourceful, and gracefully navigate this event.

Frozen Foods Recall Over Possible Listeria Contamination: 4 Important Questions and Resources

First things first, don't panic...this recall is precautionary over a possible contamination. Even if the sh!t gets real, panic will never be a useful emotion.

So, I just listened back to the Costco courtesy ‘food safety alert’ phone message we recently received. The message has three calls-to-action, which are 1) visit Costco’s website for the official recall notice 2) stop eating said products and 3) return them for a refund.

Now, what if you didn’t get the courtesy message, or you’re not a Costco member, or you heard the recall extends to other stores beyond Costco...and you have the same 4 questions any food consumer might have, such as...

Q1: Where can I find details of the food recall online?
Q2: What if I have the recalled food product(s) in my kitchen?
Q3: What is Listeria and how serious is it?
Q4: What if I ate the recalled frozen food vegetables?

Again…don’t panic…even if you ate the recalled food…like we did. At the time of our research and writing this post, the recall appeared to be under investigation and the Listeria contamination was phrased as possible and unconfirmed. Let's hope it stays that way.

(*Note: The information contained in this post is my attempt to curate resources surrounding this current event to help my readers navigate the experience. I am neither a health professional nor government employee. If you discover informational errors, feel free to tell me in the comments below, or through my CONTACT page, so that I may address them.).

Ok, here are the 4 important questions and resources about this recall.

Q1: Where can I find details of the food recall online?

Last I reviewed, there are two specific recalls with two different recall notices trending in the news:

1) The CRF Frozen Foods recall (includes fruits and vegetables from various brands sold in various locations)

• Costco.com RECALL NOTICE
• FDA RECALL NOTICE

2) The Watts Brothers Organic Veggies recall (includes vegetables from various brands sold in various locations)

• Costco.com RECALL NOTICE
• FDA RECALL NOTICE

Q2: What if I have the recalled food product(s) in my kitchen?

According to this foodsafety.gov article:

• Don’t panic
• Don’t eat the food
• Don’t open the food
• Check the recall notice (*note: see links in Q1 official frozen foods recall notices) to find out what to do with the food (typically you can return for a refund; or you can dispose of it properly so that other people or animals can’t consume it)

You can even sign up for email notices of food recalls on the foodsafety.gov site

Q3: What is Listeriosis and how serious is it?

It can have very serious health implications, and I think it's worth anyone's time to know what the experts say about it.

Alliance for Listeriosis Prevention lists symptoms, risk factors, how it gets into food, how we contract it, prevention, and other need-to-knows.

The Mayo Clinic lists definition, symptoms, risk factors, causes, complications, testing options, treatment, and other need-to-knows.

Q4: What if I ate the recalled frozen food vegetables?

Here at The Kitchen Girl headquarters, we asked this very question, because, well...we did eat the recalled food...just a few weeks ago.

Now, since we're not healthcare professionals, and we're not experiencing any symptoms, I can't offer advice, but I can share our personal experience of how we’ve handled the situation so far:

1. Panic? No.
2. Educate ourselves about Listeriosis? Most definitely, yes.
3. Determine our risk factors? Yes...and as it turns out, we are not in the high-risk group.
4. Seek medical attention? If we start experiencing symptoms of listeriosis...most definitely, yes.

So, where and how did we source our information? These places, right here...

• The Alliance for Listeriosis Prevention very efficiently lists Facts about Listeriosis (as referenced in the previous question)
• Foodsafety.gov lists recent recalls (as referenced in the previous question)
• Here is a comprehensive chart of food borne illnesses also published on fda.gov...very useful for knowledge geeks, or in times of need.

Well, I hope I've managed to equip you with some helpful resources. Feel free to leave comments or questions below. Until next time, I wish you the utmost health and wellness…as always. Cheers!