A manufacturer of muffins and mini-muffin brands sold at stores including Walmart and 7-Eleven recalled some of its products as of July 19, citing possible listeria contamination.
Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp issued a voluntary recall for its blueberry, strawberry, banana nut, chocolate and corn muffins and mini-muffins, which are sold in multiple national chains under several brand names.
Walmart brands affected by the recall include Freshness Guaranteed, Great Value and Marketside, and other brands included are 7-Eleven Selects, Stop & Shop brand mini muffins, Uncle Wally's and The Worthy Crumb.
What is Listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes are harmful bacteria found in some foods that cause the disease Listeriosis, a serious and sometimes fatal infection.
Around 1,600 people in the United States get the disease each year, and about 260 people die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Pregnant women and their newborns, those aged 65 or older and immunocompromised people are most likely to get sick from the infection, especially if it is invasive listeriosis, when the germ spreads beyond the gut.
Most healthy people would only have short-term, non-fatal symptoms, but "Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women," according to the Food & Drug Administration.
Listeriosis symptoms
Listeriosis can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on the person and the part of the body affected, according to the CDC. The infection can lead to fever and diarrhea, like other foodborne germs, but this type of infection is rarely diagnosed.
If pregnant women contract it, they typically experience a fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as tiredness and muscle aching, but it carries a lot of risks for the baby.
When non-pregnant people contract the infection, it can cause headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, convulsions, fever, loss of balance and muscle pain.
Those with invasive listeriosis usually experience symptoms starting between one and four weeks after eating the contaminated food. It can be treated with antibiotics.
Listeria recall
Recalling products for suspected Listeria traces is common. There have been 23 instances of it so far this year, according to the FDA.
Among the products that were pulled from shelves include the Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp muffins, a Circle K-branded chicken salad sandwich and 5000 Years Food Inc's Kimchee.
Jalapeno cream cheese, queso and spicy queso dips made by Little Hatches were also pulled from the shelves in late May.
Smilin' Bob's smoked fish dip was recalled in June, and Banner Smoked Fish Inc. also pulled several of its smoked fish products, including salmon.
In the spring, Guan's Mushroom Co of Commerce, CA, stopped sales of all cases of its 200g/7.05-ounce packages of Enoki Mushroom (Product of China) because it had the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
In the past, it has also been found in chicken, deli meats, hard boiled eggs, pork products, frozen vegetables and even ice cream.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
