Broccoli’s is known to have the notorious reputation of being everyone’s least favorite vegetable despite actually being quite tasty. However, pushing this green veggie aside and not clearing your plate might just save your life this time — and this applies to adults too. The FDA have sent out a recall announcement for packaged broccoli purchased at Walmart stores as they hope to curb potentially fatal consequences.<\/p>\n
Broccoli packages sold by Walmart stores across 20 states have been issued with a recall notice. The elevated recall status was issued due to concerns of a Listeria contamination which could result in fatal health complications.<\/p>\n
The United States Food and Drug Administration<\/strong> (FDA<\/strong>) has requested the recall of Braga Fresh\u2019s ready-to-eat 12oz Marketside Broccoli Florets. The recall has been raised to a Class 1 which is \u201ca situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,\u201d according to the organization.<\/p>\n The first announcement was made on December 31 by the FDA<\/strong>. It stated that Braga Fresh was issuing a voluntary\u00a0recall<\/a>\u00a0on the product \u201cdue to the possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.\u201d<\/p>\n Listeria is\u00a0 bacteria that can contaminate many foods. A listeria infection \u201ccan cause invasive illness and intestinal illness,\u201d according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) — however, symptoms can vary from person to person.<\/p>\n The FDA also reported that the potential listeria contamination \u201cwas discovered during random sampling by Texas Health & Human Services from a Texas store location where one of multiple samples yielded a positive test result.\u201d<\/p>\n In a release from the association, it was stated that Listeria monocytogenes\u00a0\u201c<\/em>can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.\u201d As such, people with healthier immune systems may \u201csuffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.\u201d<\/p>\n The recalled product has the UPC code 6 81131 32884 5 on the back of the bag and the Lot Code: BFFG327A6 on the front of the bag and was sold in Walmart stores. It also has a best-if-used-by date of December 10, 2024.<\/p>\n The FDA has also mentioned that consumers \u201cmay have frozen the item for later use”, despite the product no longer being sold in stores. If a consumer has indeed frozen their package of broccoli, they should discard it immediately.<\/p>\n Walmart stores spanning 20 states had sold these tainted bags of broccoli. The states in question are:<\/p>\n Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the FDA has shared that there are no reported illnesses caused by the potentially contaminated broccoli.<\/p>\nWhat is Listeria?<\/h2>\n
What to look out for<\/h2>\n