Brooklyn-based NY Gourmet Salads Inc. is trying to get back about a dozen five pound tubs of Chick Pea Salad because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

NY Gourmet Salads issued the recall for 60 pounds of the bad Chick Pea Salad going into the weekend when it already had retrieved 40 pounds of product.

NY Gourmet Salads distributes to both wholesale distributors and retail food stores in the New York City area.

The product is packaged in five pound hard plastic containers with a white adhesive label and black lettering with “EXP. Date: 04/07/10”.

No illnesses have yet been associated with the Chick Pea Salad recall.

The U.S. food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered the presence of Listeria in routine sampling.

As a precaution, the company is recalling all 5 lb. tubs of Chick Pea Salad bearing EXP Date 4/07/10.

No other date codes are being recalled at this time.

Consumers who have purchased Chick Pea Salad with EXP Date 04/07/10 should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with any questions may contact the company at (718) 765-0082, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. -4 p.m. EDT.

Listeria can cause serious illness and death, especially in young children, frail or elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems.

Listeria symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.  Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.