RELATED: If You Have This in Your Freezer, Throw It Away Now, USDA Says.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb On Sept. 16, The Kroger Co. announced that it was voluntarily recalling its 16-ounce name-brand bagged kale, produced by Baker Farms. According to an announcement published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the produce was recalled due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The affected bags have a universal product code (UPC) of 11110-18170 and a best by date of Sept. 18, 2021, “which is printed on the front of the package below the light blue bar,” according to the FDA notice. The FDA says it has not received any reports of illness related to the Kroger brand kale, but there are severe health consequences that can result from consuming products infected with this bacteria. According to the agency, Listeria monocyotgenes is an organism that can “cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” But even healthy people may be infected by listeria, experiencing short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. “Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women” as well, the FDA warns. RELATED: For more recent recalls you need to know about, sign up for our daily newsletter. The Kroger-branded kale is just one of three recent recalls from Baker Farms. On Sept. 17, the FDA reported that the company was also recalling its Baker Farms and SEG Grocers brand names of one pound, plastic bagged kale due to listeria contamination. According to the agency, Baker Farms was notified by a customer that their product had tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes on Sept. 15. Customers who have bought any of the affected products are “urged not to consume the product but to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund” or discard the product, the FDA says. The recalled Kroger product was distributed by stores in the “Columbus, Nashville and Atlanta Divisions, servicing Columbus and Toledo, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee; eastern West Virginia; and the states of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina,” but the grocer says it pulled all potentially contaminated products from produce departments on Sept. 16. Baker Farms says the other affected products were distributed to stores between Aug. 3o and Sept. 1, primarily having been sold in states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, and Virginia. RELATED: Don’t Eat Any Foods Made by This Company Right Now, FDA Warns.
