Broccoli Salad Recall: Taylor Farms Recalls 5,000 Pounds Broccoli due to Listeria Contamination

As of Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a recall of close to 5,000 pounds of broccoli salad kits retailed by Taylor Farms due to possible Listeria contamination.

TAYLOR FARMS BROCCOLI CRUNCH WITH BACON AND DRESSING is the product being recalled with case codes 310151 or 310153. The production dates ran from October 21 to the 23 and have an establishment number EST. 34522 inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The products were shipped to several states, including Conneticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont. The kits are currently being sold in supermarkets such as Price Chopper, Shaw's, Shoprite, Acme Markets, Stop & Shop and several others. However, at this time, all products have been removed from the stores.

The USDA notes that Listeria contamination was first detected on the dressing packets of boxes by the Food and Drug Administration. Taylor Farms voluntarily informed the federal agencies of the specific product kits needed to be recalled.

At this time, health agencies have not received any complaints regarding sicknesses related to the broccoli salad.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that Listeria contamination can happen when food becomes infected by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes due to improper food preparation, consumption and storage. Older adults, pregnant women and those with compromised immune symptoms can be particularly susceptible to this bacterium that may lead to an increased risk of meningitis, fetal loss and even death. In fact, the mortality rate of those infected is at 21 percent.

Taylor Farms customer service has advised those who believe they may have developed symptoms from the product to contact a health care professional immediately as well as their customer service line at 866-508-7048.