Salad Recall as Dire Warning Issued About Possible Contamination

An Ohio company is recalling assorted deli salads over concerns the products may be tainted with listeria bacteria.

Herold's Salads of Cleveland is voluntarily recalling various salads "out of an abundance of caution" over concerns the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday.

No illnesses or adverse health effects have been reported to date, but the company is recalling specific batches to which the risk applies.

The recall involves 28 products, including various potato and pasta salads, that have expiration dates between November 2023 and January 2024.

The full list of products and locations in Ohio where they were available can be viewed on the FDA's website.

The products should be disposed of immediately, the FDA said. Products may have been repackaged in a variety of sizes depending on the location of purchase.

"Please ask your local point of purchase if purchased product falls within this recall," the FDA said.

Customers with affected products are asked to either dispose of them or return them to Herold's Salads.

If eaten, food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis.

Listeriosis is a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns.

It can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. It can also cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.

Anyone exhibiting symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.

For more information or assistance, customers can contact Herold's Sales, Inc at 216-991-7500 (ext. 41) or email msabetta@heroldssalads.com.

Newsweek has contacted the company for comment via email.

The FDA's website says that when "a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service." Food recalls are issued if there are concerns that a product may be harmful to consumers in some way, such as if mislabeled products fail to disclose allergens.

Earlier this month, a company based in New York recalled more than 700 pounds of ready-to-eat beef and poultry products that may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Also this month, a California-based company issued a voluntary recall of its spinach salad after routine sampling and inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture, yielded a positive result for listeria.