(NEXSTAR) – An Oregon-based company is recalling nearly 60,000 pounds of frozen blueberries that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Willamette Valley Fruit Company in Salem, Oregon, voluntarily ordered the recall Feb. 12, and on Tuesday, the FDA labeled the recall Class I, its most severe. The classification is reserved for situations in which exposure to the item has a “reasonable probability” of causing “serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the FDA website.
The blueberries were packaged in 30-pound cases or 1400-pound totes and distributed to Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Canada. They were not sold to consumers from retail stores, according to the FDA.
Nexstar reached out to Willamette Valley Fruit Company for additional information about who purchased the blueberries, but did not immediately receive a reply.
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Eating food that contains listeria bacteria can cause an intestinal illness that usually starts within 24 hours of eating the tainted food. Symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting usually last for one to three days.
In some cases, however, intestinal illness can progress into a case of potentially-deadly invasive illness, during which the bacteria spreads beyond the intestines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms usually start within two weeks and include fever, flu-like symptoms, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures.
Pregnant women usually experience mild or no symptoms at all, according to the CDC, however a case of invasive illness can be life-threatening to the child.
CDC data shows that nearly one in six cases of invasive listeriosis — not associated with pregnancy — results in death.
