If you’ve recently purchased frozen fruit from Whole Foods, you may want to check the product label to make sure it isn’t part of a recent recall. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a voluntary recall of plastic bags of frozen fruit due to potential listeria contamination.
Whole Foods’ 365 Organic brand’s ‘Tropical Fruit Medley‘ is among the products being recalled and is being removed from store shelves right now.
Possible Listeria Contamination Leads to Frozen Fruit Recall: Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand and More
In addition to the 365 Organic 'Tropical Fruit Medley' bags, the following frozen fruits are also being recalled, as reported by CBS News: "pineapple chunks, organic whole strawberries, organic slice strawberries and organic blackberries and bananas." It's important to note that the affected products were distributed to select Whole Foods stores throughout the US from November 1, 2022 to June 21, 2023.
The affected 'Tropical Fruit Medley' bags were packaged in a 32-ounce plastic bag (34,578 cases), the FDA writes, and the full list of 'Best Buy' dates and 'Lot numbers' can be found in its recall announcement post.
On June 21st, SunOpta Inc’s subsidiary, Sunrise Growers Inc., issued the voluntary recall of "specific frozen fruit products linked to pineapple provided by a third-party supplier due to the potential for these products to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes," according to the FDA.
Listeria monocytogenes, the organization notes, is an "organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."
Although healthy individuals may suffer only "short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea," a Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, experts stress. Any consumers concerned about an illness, the FDA encourages, should contact their physician.
