Frozen Food becomes the cause of Listeria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight people needed to be hospitalized because of a Listeria outbreak. The food packaging company initiated a recall to stop the outbreak.

It seems that 42 contaminated brands were packaged at CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington, and sold in parts of Canada and all 50 U.S. states in stores like Costco and Trader Joe’s. The Drug Administration and U.S. Food websites provide the entire list of the affected products.

CRF apologized and immediately took action to alert everyone to stop consuming their products, discard or return them to store to get a refund. According to CDC, soil and water may contain Listeria monocytogenes. Animals then can pass the bacterium in dairy food or meat.

The people who are predisposed the most are pregnant women, adults with weak immune systems and the elderly. On pregnant women, it can cause stillbirth, premature delivery, miscarriages and other dangerous infections in newborns. The symptoms are usually diarrhea, pain in the muscles and fever. If left untreated it might be fatal.

After a small recall of 11 frozen vegetable products, the company has recently recalled all products since May 1, 2014, onward and the activity at the facility has been suspended.

This is not the first case of a Listeria outbreak. Last year, Blue Bell Creameries had a huge recall. Because of that, ten people got sick in 4 states, and 3 of them died.

After consumers had started to get sick, a Dole facility in Ohio recalled salad mixes this January. One person died, and other 18 fell ill.

As mentioned before not only frozen fruits and vegetables may be the source of a Listeria outbreak but also raw milk, some cheese products, and caramel apples.

Still the worst outbreak occurred in 2011 started from Jensen Colorado Farms after cantaloupe melons were contaminated. Unfortunately, it led to 143 hospitalized people, 33 deaths in 28 states. Also, a pregnant woman had a miscarriage later.

A thorough investigation will hopefully bring some answers. Measures of precaution need to be taken fast to prevent any other case of Listeria. The consequences of Listeria can still continue if from now on facilities will not become a safer place for products.

Image Source: Refrigerated Frozen Foods