Lancaster Foods recalls several kale, spinach and collard green products due to possible listeria contamination

Lancaster Foods has issued a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of three brands of already-expired kale, spinach and collard green products, due to a possible listeria contamination.

The Robinson Fresh, Lancaster and Giant brand products were produced at Lancaster Foods' Maryland facility and were distributed in several states including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. No related illnesses have yet been reported, according to an announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Retailers and distributors were told to remove the recalled products from all inventories. The FDA instructs consumers who still have the recalled items in their refrigerators to discard the items and not to consume them.

The products — kale greens, chopped kale, spinach, curly leaf spinach and collard greens — all had "Best If Used By" dates of either April 29 or May 1.

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The recall was initiated after a random sample of a single bag of a chopped kale greens product with a "Best If Used By" date of May 1, 2023 that was collected by the New York Agriculture and Markets Food Safety Division tested positive for the listeria pathogen.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by the Listeria monocytogenes germ, which usually occurs after eating contaminated food. 

The disease primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, older adults and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms usually begin 2 weeks after consuming food contaminated with listeria, but can occur as soon as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.

Infected people who are not pregnant may experience symptoms like headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever and muscle aches. Pregnant people usually only experience fever, fatigue and muscle aches, but listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, and serious illness or death in newborns.

Consumers with these symptoms are urged to contact their healthcare provider. The FDA website offers full details on the recalled products.