Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Foods Recalled

Refrigerated salads and other prepared foods recalled

(RxWiki News) Hundreds of thousands of ready-to-eat refrigerated foods — from cole slaw and potato salad to baked beans and deviled eggs — have been recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, no illnesses have yet been reported, but the manufacturer — Reser’s Fine Foods of Beaverton, Oregon — says the food may contain Listeria, a bacteria that can cause sometimes fatal illnesses.

The foods were distributed to retailers and food distributors located throughout the country in more than 20 states.

The prepared foods were also distributed in Canada, according to the USDA.

"Check the FDA website for a list of recalled foods."

The recall involved 109,000 cases of refrigerated ready-to-eat products, all of which were manufactured at the Topeka, KS, salad manufacturing facility.

No other Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc. manufacturing facilities are involved in this recall, the USDA reported.

The recalled foods were distributed to states throughout the country, including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The products are all labeled with a Use-By Date or Best-By Date followed by a plant identifier code of 20. These dates range from 10/05/2013 to 2/06/2014.

Products include various types of cole slaw, potato salad and dishes, seafood salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, pasta and macaroni salads, ambrosia, deviled eggs, bean salad, ham salad, dips, baked beans and pimento spread.

Listeria is bacteria that healthy people usually overcome after a short bout of high fever, severe headache, nausea, stiffness, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The bacterial infection can be more serious — sometimes even fatal — in young children, the elderly, frail individuals and those with weakened immune systems.

Listeria can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

For more information on this recall, please contact Reser’s Fine Foods Consumer Hotline or visit the FDA website.

Review Date: 
October 23, 2013