LAKEWOOD, Colo. (July 22, 2022) – Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc., a Lakewood, Colorado-based natural grocery retailer, is voluntarily recalling Natural Grocers® Brand 1-pound Organic Amaranth Grain due to potential Salmonella contamination. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
This recall was initiated when the company received a notification by its supplier of the potential presence of Salmonella in specific lots of Organic Amaranth. The company has received no reports of illness or injury to date.
The recalled product is packaged in clear plastic bags weighing 1-pound and bearing the “Natural Grocers” label. Only packages bearing the following pack dates are being recalled at this time: 22-102, 22-103, 22-130, and 22-194. The pack date can be found on the lower left-hand side of the label near the USDA Organic seal.
UPC Code
Description
Packed on Dates
000080125501
Organic Amaranth Grain 1 LB
22-102, 22-103, 22-130, and 22-194
The recalled product was distributed to Natural Grocers’ stores located in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Consumers can find the specific locations of Natural Grocers’ stores in those states at: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-directoryExternal Link Disclaimer.
Consumers who may have purchased this product are advised to discontinue use immediately and discard or return the product for credit or refund. If a consumer experiences the symptoms listed above and believes they may have been exposed to Salmonella, they are urged to report to a medical provider.
Consumers who have questions may contact the company by calling Customer Service at 303-986-4600, ext. 80801, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (MST).
Eat Just, Inc. (“Eat Just”), located in Alameda, CA, is voluntarily recalling select lots of JUST Egg Chopped Spring Greens products from a limited number of retail stores located in five states, due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The voluntarily recalled product was distributed to a select number of retail stores located in AZ, CA, OK, LA, and TX.
The recalled lots tested negative for Listeria monocytogenes before leaving the manufacturing facility. However, another lot that shares ingredients with the recalled lots has tested positive. The lot that tested positive has not been released to the public. Out of an abundance of caution, Eat Just is voluntarily recalling the three lots identified below.
No illnesses have been reported with the products being recalled to date.
Products subject to the voluntary recall are identified by Use By Dates and Lot numbers:
Product
Case Code
UPC Code
Use By – Lot
Spring Green Flavor – Chopped Egg and Vegetables 6 x 12 oz.
10191011001029
1 91011 00101 5
JUN 10 2023 1612
Spring Green Flavor – Chopped Egg and Vegetables 6 x 12 oz.
10191011001029
1 91011 00101 5
JUN 29 2023 1802
Spring Green Flavor – Chopped Egg and Vegetables 6 x 12 oz.
10191011001029
1 91011 00101 5
JUN 30 2023 1812
USE BY JUN 10 2023 1612
USE BY JUN 29 2023 1802
USE BY JUN 30 2023 1812
The product date and lot code is located above the UPC (bar code) on the back of the package.
To date, a total of 21 packages of the recalled product have been sold to consumers. If you have the recalled product, it should be discarded and not consumed. For more information, consumers may call Eat Just customer care at (844) 423-6637 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time or email wecare@ju.st. Customers who purchased any of the recalled products may receive a full refund at the location of purchase.
No other Eat Just products are part of this voluntary recall. All other products are safe to consume.
Eat Just is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.
The FDA announced today that its Import Divisions may detain without physical examination, importations of enoki mushrooms from the ROK. This country-wide import alert, IA #25-21, “Detention Without Physical Examination of Enoki Mushrooms from Korea (the Republic of) due to Listeria monocytogenes,” was issued to protect public health and help prevent the importation of enoki mushrooms that could be linked to human infections. The FDA issues import alerts to help prevent potentially violative products from being distributed in the United States.
In fiscal year 2021, FDA testing revealed that 43% of enoki mushrooms sampled from the ROK were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). L. monocytogenes is a human pathogen that can be found in moist environments, soil, water, decaying vegetation and animals, and can survive and even grow under refrigeration and other food preservation measures.
The sampling was conducted following an FDA investigation into a multistate outbreak spanning from 2016-2020. This outbreak linked multiple cases of human infections of L. monocytogenes to enoki mushrooms from the ROK. The outbreak accounted for a total of 36 U.S. cases reported across 17 states, 12 cases in Canada, and six cases in Australia. The 36 U.S. cases yielded 31 hospitalizations and four deaths.
From March 2020 through May 2022, state public health authorities conducted sampling of enoki mushrooms from U.S. retail locations. L. monocytogenes was detected in multiple state samples, which led to 21 recalls of enoki mushrooms in the United States. Nine of the recalls were linked to enoki mushrooms grown in the ROK and were confirmed by labelling, traceback, or whole genome sequencing (WGS).
After the 2020 outbreak, the FDA began implementing an Imported Specialty Mushroom Prevention Strategy, with a focus on enoki mushrooms, to protect public health and prevent future L. monocytogenes outbreaks in specialty imported mushrooms. The FDA’s prevention strategies are affirmative, deliberate approaches undertaken by the agency to limit or prevent the recurrence of a root cause that led to an outbreak or adverse incident.
