Consumers trust that the food they purchase for consumption at local grocery stores, while not always the freshest, is at minimum, safe to eat. But that is not always the case, as we’re seeing play out right now in California and five other states where avocados, those innocuous-looking fruits you likely turn into guacamole in your kitchen, are under recall due to potential contamination with the deadly bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
The avocados in question were grown in California by the Henry Avocado Corporation. The recall is voluntary on the company’s part and due to what it calls an abundance of caution after government inspectors found the potentially life-threatening bacterium in samples found in a California packaging facility. So far, no illness has been attributed to the recalled fruit.
Both conventional and organic avocados were affected by the recall. Stores in California, Arizona, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin all received the affected avocados. Every shipment from the facility in question dating back to January 2019 is subject to the recall, the company said.
You have a right to expect the food you buy to be safe. When growers, packers, distributors, and sellers of food introduce contaminated food into the food supply, they can be held accountable for any injuries that result. Contact our California defective product lawyer at Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation if you have been sickened by recalled food.
Henry Avocado representatives say that stickers on the avocados in the recall read “Bravocado” with the exception of the organic avocados being recalled. Those fruits will bear the labels “Organic” and “California.” Store personnel, says the company, can assist consumers with identifying Henry Avocados with the bar codes present in sticker form on the fruit. The company asks consumers to please discard the avocados or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
Dangerous Bacterium
Listeria is of particular concern for pregnant women since it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature delivery. It can also result in life-threatening infections in newborn babies. The elderly and people with compromised or weakened immune systems are also more susceptible to the ill effects of listeria.
Listeria causes listeriosis. The symptoms of this condition include fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, headache, loss of balance, and confusion. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and convulsions may occur in those exposed to the listeria bacterium. Listeria is treatable with antibiotics.
This dangerous bacterium poses a very serious threat to public health, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Around 1,600 cases of listeriosis occur in the United States each year. Of those 1,600, around 260 people die as a result. Previous outbreaks have stemmed from contamination of pork products, deli ham, soft raw milk cheese, frozen vegetables, raw milk, packaged salads, and ice cream, among other foods.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries due to contaminated food or any other type of defective product, contact a California defective product attorney at Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation at 818-783-5757 to discuss your case and the injuries you sustained. We will fight for you to get you the compensation to which you are entitled.