Walmart’s Great Value frozen cherries recalled for listeria risk

Some frozen, organic, sweet, pitted cherries packaged under Walmart’s Great Value brand are under recall after producer Sunrise Growers Inc. found Listeria monocytogenes during routine testing.

Distribution details — such cities and states — were incomplete in the recall notice, posted Wednesday on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. Sunrise Growers shipped the frozen organic cherries on Aug. 10.

“These recalled products were distributed to a customer distribution center in Louisiana and may have been redistributed to stores in Louisiana and Mississippi,” according to the recall notice, which did not name Walmart.

“The affected retail customer has been notified of this recall and instructed to remove any recalled product from retail store shelves and inventories.”

No illnesses had been confirmed in connection with the recalled frozen, organic cherries as of the posting of the recall on the FDA website. However, it can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also, because of the best-by date for the frozen organic cherries is two years away, there is concern that consumers may have unused portions of the recalled fruit in their homes.

“Consumers are urged not to consume these products. Consumers who purchased these products may take them back to the store where they purchased them for a refund or simply discard them,” according to the recall notice.

Only Great Value branded 32-ounce plastic zip-top bags of frozen, organic, dark sweet pitted cherries are subject to this recall. To determine whether cherries they have in their homes are included in the recall, consumers should the bags for the following information:

• Best By Date of 08/10/19 on the back of the bag;
• UPC number of 078742126166; and
• Lot code FED722211 or FED722212.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled cherries and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the bacteria.

Similarly, anyone who has eaten or handled the recalled cherries should monitor themselves for symptoms during the 70-day incubation period. Symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Although healthy adults may suffer only short-term symptoms, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. It often causes serious, sometimes fatal, infections in high-risk groups. People at higher risk include children, the elderly, cancer patients and anyone with a surpassed or compromised immune system.

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