Walmart shoppers should do a quick check of their recent produce purchases, because the retailer has just issued an urgent vegetable recall. A recall notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday, April 19 informed consumers that World Variety Produce, Inc. has voluntarily recalled Organic Marketside Zucchini packages that were available at Walmart stores nationwide due to possible salmonella contamination.
The recalled zucchini was sold at select Walmart retail stores in Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. The recalled Organic Marketside Zucchini was packaged in a clear overwrap tray. The specific products impacted by the recall are those in case lot 38706503. Consumers can further identify the recalled product through the UPC code of 6-81131-22105-4. Further details about the specific product included in the recall, as well as a photo of the recalled Organic Marketside Zucchini package can be found by clicking here.
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The FDA said the recall was initiated “because a single lot of imported organic zucchini tested positive for salmonella as a result of a routine FDA sampling.” Although no illnesses have been reported in connection to the recalled zucchini as of the recall notice’s publishing date, consumption of products contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, a common foodbourne illness that can be serious and sometimes fatal in some people. Symptoms of salmonellosis – diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever – typically occur within 12 to 72 hours. Although the illness typically lasts four to seven days and doesn’t require treatment, in rare cases, the infection can spread from the intestines to the blood stream, requiring the individual to be hospitalized. Young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing a more serious infection.
Due to the health risks salmonella poses, consumers who have purchased Organic Marketside Zucchini are urged not to consume the product. The recalled zucchini should instead be destroyed and disposed of. Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact World Variety Produce, Inc. at 1-800-588-0151, Mon-Fri 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. PT.
Possible salmonella contamination has resulted in multiple product recalls in recent weeks. Most notably, perhaps, was Italian confectionery group Ferrero’s recent multi-country recall of certain Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs. The company recalled the popular chocolate treat amid a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 100 people, most of whom were children. The outbreak led to the temporary suspension of production at a plant in Belgium.
