Whole Foods Recall Issued, Bacteria Contamination Possible

Whole Foods Markets’ popular red lentil dal has been recalled due to a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recall applies to Bakkavor USA’s Red Lentil Dal produced in Charlotte, North Carolina and sold in Whole Foods stores all over the U.S. The recall was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Bakkavor USA produces a red lentil dal that is extremely popular at Whole Foods and is a staple for many vegetarians and vegans. This voluntary recall comes after a specific issue with one of the product’s ingredients: pickled curry cauliflower. The dal reportedly includes cauliflower produced by Doux South Specialties, LLC, which detected possible Listeria contamination after it had already shipped some product off. This forced Whole Foods and Bakkavor to initiate a recall in late April.

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Bakkavor’s Red Lentil Dal is sold in plastic trays in 12-ounce increments. You can identify recalled products by their “use by” date – April 15, April 17, April 18, April 19, April 22, April 24, April 25 and April 26. All will have the UPC code 1 95515 02394 8. Be aware that the recalled products were distributed in 49 states – all of them except for Hawaii.

Thankfully, no illnesses have been reported as a result of this recall so far. Bakkavor and Doux South Specialties are investigating their processes to determine how this contamination happened and to prevent it from happening again. The FDA is investigating as well. Customers with questions can contact Whole Foods Market at 1-844-936-8255, but the phone lines are only open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET on Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can infect many different kinds of foods and cause illness in consumers. The average healthy adult will suffer mild short-term symptoms including a high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea as a result of eating Listeria-infected food. However, pregnant women may experience miscarriages or stillbirths as a result of the infection, and children, elderly people and immunocompromised people are at a higher risk as well. In rare cases, infections can be fatal. Those worried they might have been infected should contact their doctor immediately.