Fresh Express Lettuce Recall Due to E. coli Risk
Fresh Express has recalled certain Romaine lettuce salad products with expired Use-by Dates of July 8 – 12 and an “S” in the Product Code because they may have the potential to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. No other Fresh Express salads are included in the recall.
No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.
The precautionary recall action is being conducted to reach retailers as well as consumers. Consumers should check their refrigerators for Fresh Express Romaine salads with Use-by Dates of July 8 – 12 and an “S” in the Product Code. Retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers.
According to the FDA announcement of the Fresh Express recall, the company’s customer service representatives have already contacted a majority of retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce.
Only the Romaine lettuce salad products with use-by dates of July 8, July 9, July 10, July 11 and July 12, AND have an “S” in the product code are affected(see separate listing).
Retailers and Consumers who have any remaining expired product should not consume it, but rather discard it.
Fresh Express issued this recall after an isolated instance in which one package of Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine salad yielded a positive result for E. coli O157:H7 in a random sample test collected and conducted by a third-party laboratory for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Immediately upon learning about the positive test result, Fresh Express conducted a traceability assessment and a full review of its food safety documentation, all of which were found to be in compliance with the company’s multi-step food safety program including field and manufacturing records which did not show any unusual occurrences or the presence of any pathogens
Tags: lettuce recall, recall
