WASHINGTON - River Ranch Fresh Foods is recalling 2,154 cases of bagged salad because of possible contamination by listeria monocytogenes, the Salinas, Calif., company said.
An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupes has killed at least 23 people across 12 states in recent weeks, matching the death toll in a 1998 outbreak, health officials have said.
River Ranch's recall of bagged salad followed a test by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the company said in a statement on the Food and Drug Administration website.
There have been no reports of illness blamed on the recalled items.
The salad products being recalled include:
-- Farmers Market eight-ounce Shredded Iceberg
-- Farmers Market seven-ounce Parisian Blend
-- Farmers Market nine-ounce Leafy Romaine
-- Farmers Market 12-ounce Romaine Garden
-- Hy-Vee eight-ounce Shredded Iceberg
-- Hy-Vee 12-ounce American Blend
-- Hy-Vee 12-ounce Garden Supreme
-- Hy-Vee 12-ounce Romaine Garden
The products were produced Sept. 27 with best-by dates of Oct. 14. They were distributed in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania and sold in supermarkets.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson)
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