Green beans, squash sold at Walmart recalled over possible listeria
A Florida company is voluntarily recalling certain bags of Marketside brand green beans and butternut squash sold at retailers in several states — including some Walmart stores — due to possible contamination with listeria monocytogenes. The dangerous bacteria can cause severe and sometimes fatal illnesses in young children, older adults, and others with weakened immune systems.
Southern Specialties Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida, says the affected items may have been shipped to select stores in nine states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Walmart lists the products on its website as having been sold at select stores.
To date, no illnesses have been reported.
In otherwise healthy people, listeria cases are generally mild and may include short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, in some cases, the infection can lead to life-threatening complications, such as meningitis and an infection in the blood. It is also dangerous for pregnant women as listeria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
Southern Specialties says the recall was issued after a raw material supplier notified the company that a routine test of a food contact surface tested positive for listeria.
The FDA provided the following information to help consumers determine if they have purchased an affected product. Officials urge anyone who has bought a recalled item not to consume it and either throw it out or return it to the store for a refund.