At least 10 people in the United States have been sick from an outbreak of listeria related to ready-to-eat foods, and producers are voluntarily recalling some of the products, federal officials said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday that federal, state and local officials were investigating outbreaks related to food produced by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC in San Fernando, California. The FDA says 10 people who have become ill are in California and Nevada and need to be hospitalized.
The agency said the products are being sold in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington, where they contain points of sale, such as hospitals, hotels, convenience stores, airports, airlines, retailers and food service points. Symptoms of Listeria usually begin within two weeks of eating contaminated food. Mild cases include fever, muscle pain, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea, but more serious symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and cramps.
Federal officials said they began investigating the recent outbreak last year but found no sufficient evidence to determine the source of the infection. They said the investigation resumed in April when FDA investigators discovered listeria in samples collected from fresh, prepared foods that were tailored to the tensions from the outbreak.
The FDA found that six of the 10 people who became ill were hospitalized along with Listeria before they got sick. The FDA found that items were being served with fresh, prepared foods at least three health care facilities where patients were previously treated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that test samples from sick patients were collected from December 2023 to September 2024.
Fresh & Ready voluntarily recalled several products that could be identified by the “Use by” dates this year, from April 22nd to May 19th. This can be identified by Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Food Food To Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away by this year’s “use” date.
A message from Fresh & Lady Food left for comment on Sunday.
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