1 Dead In Michigan From Listeria Linked To Dole Salads — CDC

The salads were made in Springfield, Ohio, the CDC said.

The outbreak, which dates back to July, is linked to salads sold under the brand names Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar and PC Organics. The CDC says anyone with one of the packages should throw it away in a closed plastic bag in a sealed trash can.

Products in question are identifiable with a product code that starts with the letter “A”, which can be seen on the upper right-hand corner of the product package. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention noted that it has been investigating the multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections (listeriosis) since September 2015. Health officials were ultimately able to link the issue to the Dole processing facility.

The CDC says salads processed at this facility may be contaminated with Listeria.

When a person contracts the disease, it can cause fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms and even death.

Dole did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The salads were made in Springfield, Ohio, the CDC said. It has affected people, including one pregnant woman, from six states: four in MI, four in NY, one in IN, one in New Jersey, one in MA and one in Pennsylvania. They also announced on Thursday that they are pulling from grocery store shelves all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads produced at that plant.

A current, multi-state listeria outbreak sickened 12 people and killed one. People experiencing these symptoms and who may have consumed this packaged salad product should seek immediate medical attention.

A supermarket shelve filled with Dole’s packaged salad, the possible cause of the latest listeria outbreak.

With an incubation period of three to 70 days and the ability to survive cold temperatures, food-borne illness Listeria is considered hard to trace and track.

It is especially unsafe to children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

Upon investigation, the Listeria isolates collected from the 12 hospitalized people were found to be highly related genetically.

The listeria bacteria was found in the packaged salad brand called “Field Greens”, as reported by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.