General Mills is recalling thousands of bags of Cascadian Farm Cut Green Beans that have tested positive for listeria bacteria. This is the second time this year that the Minnesota-based company has discovered the dangerous microbes, which can cause symptoms such as fever and muscle pain, in its frozen green beans,.
The makers of breakfast cereals, grain snacks, baking goods, and organic foods is recalling a total of 60,000 packages of 16-ounce Cascadian Farm frozen green beans. While consumers of the frozen vegetables have not reported any illnesses, the recall was issued as a precaution, as listeria can become fatal in severe cases.
The recall was announced on October 2, Friday. It included bags that were packaged in June 2015 and its "Better If Used By" date stamp is June 29, 2017.
General Mill's first frozen green bean recall this year was also for 60,000 bags. It was for 10-ounce packages of Cascadian Farms frozen green beans, according to CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. They were prepared in March 2014 and their used-by dates were in April 2016.
Food safety experts explain that listeria is a very tricky and toxic disease-causing organism. It grows in refrigerated environments, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Listeria usually does not cause severe illnesses. However, it is a high risk among people with weak immune systems, newborns, pregnant women, and elderly adults.
A few other potential listeria outbreaks have occurred this year. Blue Bell pulled its ice cream from store freezers in April, and then started up sales again in August. Sabra also recalled 30,000 cases of hummus during April.
The United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed new food safety rules in September. They require U.S. food manufacturers to create and carry out plans to prevent food poisoning.
E.G.D. Murray first described L. monocytogenes in in 1926. It was based on 6 cases of young rabbits suddenly dying.
This video explains what listeria is: