A Baltimore company has voluntarily recalled more than 400 packaged food items, which were sold in Amtrak trains, vending machines, and stores across several states along the Eastern Seaboard, due to possible listeria contamination. Fresh Ideation Food Group issued the recall on Feb. 3 after the company’s environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.
The recall affects a variety of products that were sold from Jan. 24 to Jan. 30 in retail locations, vending machines, and during travel with transportation providers. The recall includes sandwiches, salads, snacks, yogurt, wraps and related products, which were sold under brand names Bistro to Go, Quick & Fresh, and Fresh Creative Cuisine, among others. All affected products have a Fresh Creative Cuisine label and/or identifier on the bottom of the label with the Fresh Creative Cuisine name and a fresh through or sell through date ranging from January 31, 2023 through February 6, 2023, per the FDA. The products were distributed in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. A full list of the recalled products, including brand names, UPC codes, and expiration dates, can be found on the FDA’s website here.
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The company said the food items could be contaminated with listeria, but no illnesses have been reported. According to Amtrak, which said the recalled food items were available for sale on Acela and Northeast Regional trains between Jan. 24 and Jan. 29, the recall the recalled food items were available for sale on Acela and Northeast Regional trains between Jan. 24 and Jan. 29, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. Testing on products ready for sale has been negative, and the company is taking “active measure[s] to eliminate future possibility for contamination.”
Listeria monocytogenes is the bacterium that can cause listeria infection, a serious infection typically caused by consuming contaminated food. Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Young children, frail or elderly people, pregnant women, and others with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk. In some cases, it can be fatal.
Due to the health risks associated with consumption of these products, those who purchased the recalled products are urged to contact the company, Fresh Ideation Food Group LLC, at 855-969-3338. Amtrak additionally confirmed that “all products currently served onboard are completely safe to consume.”
