Ruth’s Salads of Charlotte, NC, is recalling refrigerated pimento spread from stores in five states because random product testing by state officials returned positive results for Listeria monocytogenes.
“Consumers who have purchased this 7-ounce Ruth’s Original Pimento Spread with the Lot #16, Sell By Date 4/30/2017 are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund,” according to the recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration website.
“The contamination was discovered during random testing by the NC Department of Agriculture.”
The Ruth’s Salads company distributed the recalled pimento spread to multiple retailers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee.
No illnesses had been reported as of Thursday when the recall was posted, but it can take up to 70 days for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop after exposure to the pathogen.
Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled pimento spread recently should monitor themselves for symptoms of Listeria infection. People who develop Listeria infection symptoms and seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.
Listeria monocytogenes is a microscopic 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 infections can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
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