Dole Recalls Salad Kits Across U.S., Canada over Listeria Contamination

Dole has announced a recall of multiple salad kits from their brand name and private labels because they were processed at the location of a listeria outbreak in California.

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is “voluntarily recalling [salad kits] from the market” because they came from the same line as cheese that manufacturer Rizo-Lopez Foods recalled “for the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes,” a press release on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website states.

The California-based produce business said that multiple different salad kits sold under its brand name as well as the President’s Choice and Marketside brands have been impacted.

“Consumers who still have any of these products in their refrigerators or freezers are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately,” Dole said. 

The kits were sold across 25 states as well as 6 Canadian provinces, with the full list being published by the company. 

While Dole said the company is unaware of any specific cases tied to its products, company officials made the decision to notify retailers to “check store shelves and warehouse inventories to confirm that no recalled product is available for purchase by consumers.”

Since January, Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. has recalled cheese, yogurt, and sour cream sold under the brand names Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas, and 365 Whole Foods Market because of possible listeria contamination. 

“Based on information shared by the CDC and FDA, RLF may be a potential source of illness in an ongoing nationwide Listeria monocytogenes outbreak,” the company announced.

Symptoms of listeria infection include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, according to the FDA. In rare cases, especially amongst children, the elderly, or immunocompromised people, it can be fatal.