The federal government is expanding recalls of dangerous food items that have potentially deadly Listeria contaminations. The massive recall is expanding every day and affects food items sold in grocery stores throughout the country, including stores in New York and New Jersey.

To date, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that at least eight people were infected with Listeria since September 13, 2013, with two of those people dying. The CDC recently announced that it continues to investigate the Listeria outbreaks.

The affected items are frozen foods like vegetable fried rice and chicken fried rice from Trader Joe’s. An inspection of the food items revealed that some of them could have a deadly contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. Trader Joe’s subsequently took the immediate step of removing the contaminated food products from store shelves. On the Trader Joe’s website, the company has urged consumers who purchased the affected items to “discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.”

Under no circumstances should anyone who bought the recalled food products consume them, as Listeria is a bacteria that can cause potentially deadly infections. For example, a person who consumes a food item with Listeria could suffer from fever, vomiting, muscle aches and nausea. In the worst cases, Listeria can have life-threatening health consequences, resulting in septic shock, meningitis, encephalitis and death. Beyond that, the negative health effects of listeria are more pronounced for certain groups of people, such as pregnant women, elderly people and anyone who has a weakened immune system.

In addition to Trader Joe’s, another food supplier, Creative Snack Brain Food, has recalled food produce items that could be contaminated with Listeria. The fruit and vegetable products were sold in grocery stores throughout the US, including New Jersey.

For additional information, see the Patch.com article, “Deadly Listeria Recall Expands Again in New Jersey.”

 

If you or a loved one has suffered an illness due to consumption of a defective food product in New York, you need a qualified product liability attorney helping you throughout the legal process. The experienced personal injury and product liability lawyers at LaDuca Law Firm will fight to get you the compensation you need, want and deserve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation about your case.