A recall of dozens of salads and cream cheese spreads has been upgraded to the FDA‘s highest risk level over concerns of contamination with deadly bacteria.
New York-based Made Fresh Salads Inc first issued a recall of its products in September, but the recall was given the classification of Class 1 on Wednesday.
Class 1 indicates ‘a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.’
The original recall applied to all of the company’s Ready to Eat Deli Style Salads and cream cheeses over concerns of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
The recent classification applies to 61 products, including vegetable cream cheese, walnut cream cheese, whipped cream cheese, bean salad, cucumber salad, potato and egg salad and chickpea salad, among dozens of others.
A full list can be found on the FDA’s enforcement report.
The products were distributed in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and New York City by direct delivery to retail stores and distributors.
They were distributed in 5- and 30-pound white plastic tubs with a Made Fresh Salads label or a Northside Label and half size aluminum pan.
Listeria monocytogenes are bacteria that cause listeriosis.
Listeria can be found in moist environments, soil, water, decaying vegetation and animals, and can survive refrigeration and other food preservation measures.
Many foods can harbor the bug, but it is usually found in unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses and ready-to-eat foods, such as pre-packed sandwiches.
Cooked shellfish, cured meats and fish, including sushi and pre-cut fruit, are also a risk.
While most of the 1,250 Americans infected with listeria each year recover on their own, the infection can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
About 250 Americans die of the infection each year, which can occur if the infection spreads beyond the gut and affects the central nervous system.
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