Fresh-Cut Fruit Is Being Recalled From Wegmans And Other Stores
The wide world of fruit is a tempting category, indeed, satisfying our cravings for sweet, juicy refreshment in the form of melons and pineapples, peaches and plums, and berries of all types, to name just a few. Whether eaten out of hand or worked into any variety of dishes, ranging from blackberry cobbler to cherry clafoutis to strawberry-topped bruschetta, fruit is a produce staple we keep on hand at all times.
As much as we'd love to say that we always lovingly hand pick the ripest, most fragrant fruits and then prepare them at home, the truth is we can all admit to picking up cut fruit from time to time. Whether stocking up for a brunch or party, or simply running short on time, fresh-cut fruit from the supermarket can be a lifesaver. If you, too, like to grab a container or platter of cut fruit, then you'll want to know about a big fresh-cut fruit and vegetable recall happening at Wegmans and other grocery stores (via Food Safety News).
A recall due to possible Listeria contamination
Based in Buffalo, New York, Fruit Fresh Up, Inc. offers pre-cut and packaged fruits and vegetables such as watermelon chunks, cantaloupe chunks, pineapple spears, and vegetable platters accompanied by dip. Servicing New York and surrounding states, the company initiated a voluntary recall of a number of its products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause severe or even fatal infections in people with compromised immune systems and symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and diarrhea in healthy people, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The agency announced the recall yesterday, noting that it affects a wide range of produce items including cut melon, fruit platters, and vegetable platters.
The items being recalled are packaged in clear plastic containers with a "Best If Used By" date between March 5 and March 23, with recalled ready-to-eat dips including raspberry and ranch packaged in 7-ounce clear plastic clamshells with a "Best If Used By" date between March 15 and March 31. While no illnesses associated with the products have been reported, shoppers who have any of these items in their refrigerators are being told not to consume them and to discard them immediately. Stores that had stocked the Fruit Fresh Up items, including customer-favorite Wegmans, Fresh Harvest, and Lexington Co-Op, have been told to remove them from shelves. So if you've purchased some fresh-cut fruit lately, it's time to take an inventory of your fridge.