Fresh Express Recalls More Than 200 Fresh Salad Products Due to Potential Listeria Contamination

Check your crisper drawers.

Fresh Express is recalling more than 200 fresh salad products due to potential Listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Dec. 21. The recall was necessitated after the Michigan Department of Agriculture received a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample of Fresh Express 9 oz. Sweet Hearts salad mix.

The recall affects both Fresh Express's branded and private label fresh salad products. Brands included in the recall are:

  • Fresh Express
  • Giant Eagle
  • Little Salad Bar
  • Marketside
  • O Organics
  • Signature Farms
  • Simply Nature Organic
  • Weis Fresh From the Field
  • Wellsley Farms Organic
Fresh Express Spring Mix Salad Bag with Recall button above it
Allrecipes Image

The recalled salads were packaged at the Fresh Express facility in Streamwood, Ill. The salad packs were distributed throughout the Northeast and Midwest, as well as distributors and retailers in Canada, including:

  • Connecticut
  • Iowa
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • North Dakota
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Wisconsin
  • Ontario (Canada)
  • Manitoba (Canada)

The recall includes more than 250 products. The full list can be seen on the FDA's website.

All of the recalled products have a product code of Z324 through Z350. The product code is found on the front of the packages, below the use-by date. See an example in the photo below.

a blurry photo of the front of a Fresh Express salad bag that show the use-by date and product code
Courtesy of FDA

"Fresh Express immediately halted all production at the Streamwood facility and initiated a complete sanitation review," the FDA said in a statement announcing the recall.

If you have any of the recalled salads, do not consume them. Discard them immediately. If you have questions, you can contact the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern.

Listeria monocytogenes are bacteria that cause a listeriosis infection. Symptoms of a listeriosis infection include high fever, severe headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and stiffness. These infections can be serious, sometimes fatal. Young people, elderly or frail people, and people with a weakened immune system are most likely to experience serious symptoms or side effects of the infection. If you suspect you are ill after eating one of these salads, contact your healthcare provider.

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