A Nationwide Frozen Fruit Recall Includes Trader Joe's, Whole Foods
Frozen fruit is one of the tasty treats of summertime, but you may want to avoid buying certain bags from a few stores for the foreseeable future. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Sunrise Growers Inc., a subsidiary of the natural food company SunOpta Inc., is voluntarily recalling multiple brands of frozen fruit products that are linked to contaminated pineapple. The recall, which was issued on June 21, 2023, stated that the items in question may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria that can cause fever, headache, and nausea, among other symptoms. Listeria monocytogenes can be particularly detrimental to people who are pregnant, 65 or older, or who have weak immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The extensive list of products included in the recall are sold at Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target, Aldi, and AWG (Associated Wholesale Grocers). They were sold as early as October 2022 and may be currently on grocery store shelves. Many have best-by dates in 2024 or 2025. The statement advises customers to throw away any of the recalled frozen fruit or bring it back to the store to receive a full refund.
Although there have not yet been any recorded illnesses associated with the recalled food, SunOpta Inc. recommends that any concerned consumers should contact their doctor. Sunrise Growers stated that it will no longer be doing business with the third-party supplier that provided the affected pineapple.
A variety of frozen fruit bags may contain harmful bacteria
While many of the frozen fruit mixes included in the recall contain pineapple, there are a wide variety of products that may be contaminated. If you bought frozen fruit from the Target brand Good & Gather between October 2022 and May 2023, you may want to check if you have the Organic Cherries and Berries Fruit Blend, Dark Sweet Whole Pitted Cherries, or Mixed Fruit Blend in your freezer, among others. A plethora of Whole Foods 365 products are also being recalled, among them the Organic Tropical Fruit Medley, Organic Pineapple Chunks, and Organic Slice Strawberries and Bananas, sold between November 2022 and June 2023.
Aldi is recalling its Season's Choice Tropical Blend, AWG its Best Choice Pitted Red Tart Cherries Unsweetened, and Trader Joe's its Organic Tropical Fruit Blend, distributed to select states during specific months in 2022 and 2023. For the complete list of products being recalled, see the statement posted by the FDA.
If you have purchased any of the listed items outside of the recalled lots, however, they should be safe to consume. For further questions, you can email recall@sunrisegrowers.com or call 1-888-490-5591 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, Monday to Friday.