The FDA announced a voluntary recall by Freshouse II LLC due to possible listeria contamination.
In a statement released by the FDA, the recall was issued after Freshouse found Listeria monocytogenes on a piece of equipment at one of its packing facilities.
“We voluntarily issued this recall out of an abundance of caution with the steadfast intent to minimize even the slightest risk to public health,” Freshouse President Jamey Friedman said in a statement.
The recalled products were shipped directly to retailer distribution centers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia and to wholesalers in Maryland and North Carolina.
The affected products are Freshouse limes, Nature’s Promise Organic limes, Fresh from the Start red potatoes and lemons, Wegmans lemons, and California Valencia oranges.
This is the second voluntary recall of produce this month.
On August 1, the FDA issued a warning to consumers not to eat red, white, yellow, and sweet onions from Thomson International, Inc. due to potential salmonella contamination.
The affected onions which were sold at stores including Walmart, Kroger, and Publix, caused 640 people in 43 states to be infected with salmonella. At least 85 of them were hospitalized.
The FDA added that for the lemons, limes, oranges, and potatoes, no illnesses have been reported yet.
Freshouse says they have paused production and distribution of the products and “are continually evaluating our cleaning and sanitation regimes.”
According to the FDA, listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. However, Listeria infection can be particularly tragic for those carrying babies and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.