XPost: alt.food.asian, alt.business.insurance   
   From: social-justice@costco.com   
      
   About 360 products may be contaminated with the deadly bacteria   
      
   They’re sold at popular grocery stores like Trader Joe's and   
   Costco   
      
   You may have purchased the frozen fruit and vegetables a while   
   ago   
      
   A food packaging company in Washington state has expanded a   
   voluntary recall -- which at one time included just 11 products -   
   - to encompass nearly 360 different organic and non-organic   
   frozen fruits and vegetables that may be contaminated with the   
   deadly Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.   
      
   On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   
   announced the outbreak, which has hospitalized eight people   
   across three states. Two of those patients, one from Maryland   
   and the other from Washington state, died, though listeriosis   
   was not considered to be the cause, according to the CDC. The   
   other cases were reported in California.   
      
   The products in question are frozen fruits and vegetables from   
   42 different brands that were packaged at CRF Frozen Foods of   
   Pasco, Washington, and sold at popular grocery stores like   
   Trader Joe's and Costco in all 50 U.S. states and some parts of   
   Canada.   
      
   "The long shelf life of the recalled frozen produce is of   
   particular concern because consumers could have purchased the   
   products long ago and not realize they have them in their   
   homes," Bill Marler, a personal injury and products liability   
   attorney from Washington, wrote in his blog on food poisoning   
   outbreaks.   
      
   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a full list of   
   the recalled products on its website, which includes organic and   
   non-organic broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower,   
   corn, edamame, green beans, Italian beans, kale, leeks, lima   
   beans, onions, peas, pepper strips, potatoes, potato medley,   
   root medley, spinach, sweet potatoes, various vegetable medleys,   
   blends, and stir fry packages, blueberries, cherries,   
   cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries, according   
   to a CRF Frozen Foods news release.   
      
   "We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this expanded   
   recall has caused our customers and consumers who enjoy our   
   products," the news release said. "We are issuing this release   
   to alert consumers not to eat these products. Consumers who   
   purchased these products may return them to the store where they   
   were purchased for a refund, or simply discard them."   
      
   "Listeria monocytogenes is commonly found in soil and water,"   
   according to the CDC. "Animals can carry the bacterium without   
   appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin, such   
   as meats and dairy products. . ..When Listeria bacteria get into   
   a food processing factory, they can live there for years,   
   sometimes contaminating food products."   
      
   Listeria is a serious infection caused by consuming food   
   contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and   
   primarily affects the elderly, newborns, adults with compromised   
   immune systems and pregnant women, according to the CDC.   
   Listeria in pregnant women can lead to miscarriages, premature   
   delivery, stillbirth and life-threatening infections in newborns.   
      
   Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and diarrhea. If untreated,   
   the infection can be deadly.   
      
   The packaging company initially recalled 11 frozen vegetable   
   products on April 23, then expanded the recall this week to   
   include all products processed at the facility since May 1,   
   2014. Operations at the Pasco facility were suspended April 25   
   while a review is conducted.   
      
   The outbreak was first identified in March, according to the   
   CDC, when several ill people reported eating Organic by Nature   
   brand frozen vegetables, produced by CRF Frozen Foods.   
      
   Around that same time, the Ohio Department of Agriculture tested   
   several packages of frozen vegetables for a routine product-   
   sampling program, according to the CDC. The department found   
   Listeria in frozen organic white sweet cut corn and petite green   
   peas, both from the brand True Goodness by Meijer, which is   
   produced by CRF Frozen Foods.   
      
   After further testing, officials found that the food products   
   were related genetically to the Listeria found in the ill   
   patients, the CDC reported, providing a more concrete link to   
   CRF Frozen Foods.   
      
   Of the eight known cases, six were discovered between 2013 and   
   2015. The first was found in September 2013 and the most recent   
   was on March 28, 2016. The victims have all been between 56 and   
   86 years old and most are female. All were hospitalized.   
      
   Listeria outbreaks aren't uncommon in the United States.   
      
   One of the most well-known outbreaks came in 2015, when Blue   
   Bell Creameries recalled all of its ice cream products after 10   
   people across four states fell ill. Three people died. The   
   recall was the first it the company's more than 100-year history.   
      
   In January 2016, Dole recalled all salad mixes produced in an   
   Ohio processing facility after people who consumed the greens   
   fell ill. In total, 19 cases were reported across 19 states. All   
   19 people were hospitalized, and one person from Michigan died   
   from the infection. One case was reported in a pregnant woman.   
   An additional 14 cases were reported in Canada, according to the   
   Public Health Agency of Canada.   
      
   Past Listeria cases have included contaminated raw milk,   
   prepackaged caramel apples and several different cheese products.   
      
   One of the most deadly outbreaks involved bacteria ridden   
   cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado in 2011. The case   
   count climbed to 147, and the food-borne illness killed 33   
   people and hospitalized 143 people across 28 states. One woman,   
   who was pregnant when she fell ill, had a miscarriage.   
      
   The CDC called the frozen vegetable case "complicated" and said   
   the investigation is ongoing.   
      
   CRF Frozen Foods asked concerned consumers to call the company   
   hotline at 844-483-3866.   
      
   http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article75757197.html   
               
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)