The Real Reason Wegmans Lemon Dill Butter Is Being Recalled
Where would we be, as enthusiastic cooks, without creamy, rich, and delicious butter? Whether worked into layers of flaky pastry dough, used to sear plump scallops, or simply spread across a slice of great bread, this dairy delight is a kitchen workhouse that most of us wouldn't want to be without.
And for people for whom just cooking with butter simply isn't enough, there are lots of ways to add on more butter after cooking — in the form, say, of a hefty pat of butter atop a freshly seared steak or placed over a steaming-hot baked potato. Using butter in this way is called finishing, and it can be nice to incorporate fresh herbs or dried spices into a finishing butter — aka a compound butter (via The Wicked Noodle). These types of flavored butters are easy to make at home, but if you've ever purchased one, you're going to want to make sure it wasn't Lemon Dill Finishing Butter from the grocery store chain, Wegmans, because that product was recently recalled.
The dill in the butter might be contaminated with Listeria bacteria
If you've ever shopped at Wegmans, then you probably know why the chain is praised — especially in its home state of New York — for its selection of high quality meats, cheeses, and other items (via Insider). The store's private label offers products that are purported to be just as good as the name brands that they mimic, according to Insider, such as hummus and pita chips. But if you've recently purchased Wegmans brand Lemon Dill Finishing Butter, you'll want to know about a recall of the product that was announced late last week.
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the lemon-and-dill-flavored finishing butter sold in 3.5-ounce tubs were recalled by its manufacturer, Epicurean Butter, due to possible contamination of the frozen dill used in the product. Sourced from SubHerb Farms, the dill might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause fever, headache, and diarrhea, but which can also be fatal in people with weakened immune systems.
No illnesses have been reported in connection to the butter, but SubHerb Farms notified Epicurean Butter that one of its food manufacturing customers in Canada turned up a positive Listeria test of one of its dishes using the dill. Those who have the butter at home are advised to check the FDA announcement for the UPC and lot code numbers of the affected products, and to return any recalled product to Wegmans for a full refund.