Two dozen ready-to-eat sushi trays, salads and spring rolls sold at 7 Eleven and Trader Joe’s recalled over listeria fears
- Fuji Food Products has voluntarily recalled 24 products after the FDA found evidence they may be contaminated with listeria
- The products include sushi trays, platters and rolls as well as spring rolls and salads sold at East Coast and Midwest Trader Joe’s, 7 Elevens and Walgreens
- Listeria infections are rare and cause mild illness in most people but can trigger miscarriage and still birth if pregnant women pass it to their developing babies
Trader Joe’s prepackaged sushi has been recalled over fears it’s contaminated with listeria, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Fuji Food Products, which makes ready-to-eat sushi trays, salads and spring rolls sold everywhere from Trader Joe’s to 7 Eleven and Walgreens, has recalled 24 of its products.
They were sold in states in the Northern Midwest and along the East Coast with sell-by dates between November 22 and December 6, 2019.
The FDA warned that the agency had detected a possible listeria contamination in samples of the products, branded either Under Trader Joe’s own name or ‘Okami.’
No illnesses from the bacteria have been reported, but Fuji Food Products has issued its recall out of ‘an abundance of caution.’
Ready-to-eat sushi sold at Trader Joe’s, Walgreens and 7 Eleven has been recalled over fears the products may be contaminated with listeria bacteria (file image)
‘As responsible processors of safe, fresh food for nearly 30 years, we are addressing this problem vigorously and we apologize to those who are affected by it,’ said Fuji Food Products CEO Farrell Hirsch.
‘We will restart operation only after we have eliminated the cause and the FDA certifies that our facility is once again free of possible contamination.’
The products affected by the recall are:
- Okami 8pc California Roll
- Okami 8pc Spicy California Roll
- Okami 8pc Supreme California Roll
- Okami 8pc Spicy Supreme California Roll
- Okami 8pc Classic California Roll with SO
- Okami 8pc Supreme Combo
- Okami 8pc Supreme Sampler
- Okami 8pc Brown Rice Classic California Roll
- Okami 25pcs Sushi Platter
- Okami 6pcs Sushi Platter
- Okami 8pc Seafood Combo
- Okami Tempura Shrimp Roll 6pc
- Okami Tempura Shrimp Roll 6pc
- Okami 8pc Salmon Philly Roll
- Trader Joes Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl
- Trader Joes Banh Mi Style Salad
- Trader Joes Shrimp Spring Rolls 7oz
- Trader Joes Tofu Spring Rolls 7 oz
- Trader Joes Queso Fundido 16oz
- Trader Joes 8pcs Spicy Cal Roll 8oz
- Trader Joes 8pcs California Roll 8oz
- Trader Joes 8pc Tempura Shrimp Crunch Rolls 8.5oz
- Trader Joes 8pcs Smoked Salmon Philly Roll
- Trader Joes 8pcs Brown Rice California Roll 8oz
Listeria monocytogenes are bacteria commonly found almost anywhere moist: wet soil, water and decaying plants and animals.
They’re particularly pesky because they’re inured to the cold and able to survive even at temperatures commonly found in refrigerators.
Most often, listeria is found in unpasteurized dairy products or processed and deli meats that haven’t been handled properly.
But the germs can also cling to raw vegetables and other contaminated animal meats.
Early warning signs that you may have eaten listeria-contaminated food include a fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea.
Typically the symptoms start to rear their heads within a few days of infection, but it can take up to a month for them to set in.
For most people, after a few days of feeling crummy and sick to their stomach, the infection clears up on its own.
But in rare cases, the infection can move into the nervous system, causing headaches, neck stiffness and aching, confusion, off-kilter balance and even convulsions.
It’s highly unusual for this to occur, and when it does it’s usually in those whose immune systems are already compromised.
Listeria infections pose the most serious danger to pregnant women’s unborn babies.
Symptoms are still subtle in pregnant women, including loss of appetite, fever, vomiting and general irritability.
But infection can be devastating to the developing baby. It can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. About 22 percent of babies infected with listeria infections are stillborn or die shortly after birth.
Of the 1,700 estimated listeria serious infections a year in the US, about 17 percent are in pregnant women.
Although they’re rare and even more rarely life-threatening in people who aren’t pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 260 people die of listeria infections a year.
