Dole Garden Salad products recalled

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is recalling a limited number of their packaged Garden Salad products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent Oct. 29.

Listeria monocytogenes may cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the frail or elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy adults may only suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infections may also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. The illness caused by these bacteria can take up to 70 days to appear. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

The Defense Commissary Agency has publicized this recall to all its stores, said Richard Stith, Chief, Public Health Division, DeCA headquarters at Fort Lee, Virginia. Whenever a commissary has recalled or withdrawn products in its inventory, they are immediately removed from store shelves.    

The following products, bearing establishment number “EST. P-7089”, are affected by this recall:

• Dole Garden Salad, 24 ounce bag: UPC 0-71430-01136-2 with lot codes N28205A and N28205B with a “best if used by” date of Oct. 25
• Salad Classics Garden Salad, 12 ounce bag: UPC 6-88267-18443-7 with lot codes N28211A and N28211B with a “best if used by” date of Oct. 25

The lot code and “best if used by” date may be found on the upper right corner of the product bag and the UPC code is located on the bottom left corner on the back of the bag.

Customers should check their refrigerators and freezers for any of these products and return them to the commissary of purchase for a full refund. No other Dole products are affected by this recall.

Questions about this recall should be directed to the Dole Consumer Center 24 hours a day at (800) 356-3111.