A produce packing company in Cutler, Calif., has issued a voluntary recall of a variety of summer produce which may be contaminated with harmful listeria bacteria.
Wawona Packing Co. is voluntarily recalling peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots that were packed at its Cutler, California, warehouses between June 1 and July 12. Wawona says the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria can cause dangerous, flu-like symptoms. Children, pregnant women and the elderly are especially susceptible.
The whole fruits were all packed between June 1 and July 12, and shipped to Trader Joe's and Costco stores.
Customers who bought the fruits are asked not to eat the fruit, but to dispose of it safely.
"We are aware of no illnesses related to the consumption of these products," Brent Smittcamp, president of Wawona Packing Company, said in a statement.
"By taking the precautionary step of recalling product, we will minimize even the slightest risk to public health, and that is our priority," Smittcamp said.
Wawona said it shut down the implicated packaging lines, retrofitted equipment, sanitized the facility and re-tested. Subsequent daily test results have been negative, the company said.
Wawona said it issued a nationwide recall "because we do not know the locations of the companies that purchased the products from our direct customers," according to the recall notice.
Anyone who purchased the fruit at the store should throw it out and not eat it, the company said. Anyone with questions can contact Wawona Packing Company at (888) 232-9912.
More information - including a list of the specific products recalled - is available on the FDA website.
