Fresh Frozen vegetable line recalled by makers

A popular brand of frozen vegetables sold in supermarkets across St Vincent and the Grenadines was recalled by its makers after discovering the presence of Listeria at one of its production facilities in Georgia, USA.

In a release dated April 23, 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detailed the voluntary recall of the product by Inventure Foods Inc, as well as a full listing of the varieties of Fresh Frozen (TM) vegetables {{more}}included in the recall.

SEARCHLIGHT contacted Super J, CK Greaves and Co Ltd Supermarkets, Bonadies Supermarket No 2 and Save A Lot, and found that most of the supermarkets had been informed of the product recall and had already removed previous stock from their shelves.

A member of management from Bonadies Supermarket said that he had not been aware of the recall, but assured that he would look into it.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause 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 diarrhoea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Although, to date, there have not been any known incidences of illness directly linked to consumption of the Fresh Frozen (TM) products, Inventure Foods Inc is urging consumers to refrain from eating the products concerned, if they were purchased over a month ago.

A statement on the maker’s website states: “We take this situation very seriously and we’ve taken proactive measures to be certain that our consumers and distribution partners are aware of the situation. We have been working in tandem with the FDA to further test our facility to be certain no bacteria is present. In addition, we issued a national press release on 4/23/15 in an effort to directly alert consumers. At this juncture we are actively working with the FDA and our distribution partners to confirm that all product has been pulled from the stores.”

In addition to the Fresh Frozen (TM) vegetables, select Jamba ‘At Home’ Smoothie kits were also recalled.

For more information visit the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm444311.htm or the Inventure Foods Inc website at http://www.inventurefoods.com/Information/FrozenRecall.(JSV)