“On January 21, 2016, Dole reported to CDC that it had stopped all production at the processing facility in Springfield, Ohio and is withdrawing all packaged salads now on the market that were produced at this facility”, CDC said. The 12 hospitalizations included one pregnant woman and one person from MI who died of listeriosis. People from Massachusetts, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and NY have also been hospitalized, including a pregnant woman, according to ABC News.
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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started their Listeria investigation last September 2015 and the first case of Listeria-related illnesses was first reported last July 5, 2015. All Dole Brand and private label packaged salads processed at that location are being recalled in the USA and Canada. The CDC says anyone with one of the packages should throw it away in a closed plastic bag in a sealed trash can.
If you have bagged salad in your refrigerator it may be part of a massive Dole recall due to a listeria outbreak.
Such routine product sampling conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture led to the isolation of Listeria at the Springfield, Ohio Dole processing facility.
Several packaged salad products have been recalled, including Dole and store brands for Kroger, Aldi, Meijer and Walmart.
The CDC states that the salad was packaged under the Dole name and five other brands including President’s Choice, The Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Simple Truth, and Fresh Selections.
Consumers can identify these packaged salads by the letter “A” at the beginning of the manufacturing code found on the package.
Listeria is a food-borne bacterial illness typically found in raw vegetables and meats, as well as some soft cheeses.
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It was not until this month that the source of the outbreak was traced to the Dole Springfield facility. It also can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies. The ages of those infected range from 3 years old to 83 years old. Symptoms of listeriosis can include, muscle aches, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Nearly everyone who has listeria has infections in their blood, which causes bloodstream infections or infections to the central nervous system, which causes meningitis.
