Taco Kit Recall With Warning of Possible Fatal Infections

A Taco meal kit and a variety of dressings from Fresh Creative Foods have been recalled with a warning of possible fatal infections.

The food company on Wednesday announced the recall, which was posted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. The products are being recalled due to the risk of listeria monocytogenes in a cheese ingredient that was supplied by Rizo López Foods.

The following products were recalled:

• Don Pancho Chicken Street Taco Express Meal Kit (22-ounce tray with a Use By date range of 12/12/23-3/17/24)
• Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema Twin Pack (Two-pack of 32-ounce bottles with a Use By date range of 3/21/24-4/4/24)
• Don Pancho Everything sauce Fiesta 3 Pack (Three-pack of 12-ounce bottles with a Use By date range of 3/11/24-3/26/24)
• H-E-B Cilantro Cotija Dressing (12-ounce bottle with a Use By date range of 1/13/24-3/30/24)
• H-E-B Poblano Caesar Dressing (12-ounce bottle with a Use By date range of 1/14/24-3/31/24)
• Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing (12-ounce bottle with a Use By date range of 2/19/24-5/14/24).

There have been no reported consumer complaints as of Wednesday.

Fresh Creative Foods warned in its press release: "Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."

The company also warned of possible miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women who have been infected with listeria.

"Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea," the release said.

Fresh Creative Foods urged consumers to not consume the recalled products. It said to return the products to the store for a refund or throw them out.

The recalled products were sold at Costco, H-E-B, Trader Joe's and Albertson's in the following states:

• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington

Newsweek reached out to Fresh Creative Foods via phone and attempted to leave a message with Rizo Lopez Foods but the mailbox was full. It also reached out to H-E-B and Albertson's via email and Costco via online form.

When reached for comment, Trader Joe's directed Newsweek to its approach on food safety on its website.

"At Trader Joe's, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members," the memo said. "Our recall-related communications go well beyond regulatory requirements: we share news through in-store signs, on our website, and through email alerts."

The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are carrying out a probe into a listeria outbreak linked to cheeses manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods.

A press release on the FDA's website said: "The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multi-year, multistate outbreak of listeria monocytogenes infections linked to queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc., of Modesto, California."

The FDA is conducting an on-site inspection at the manufacturer where an environmental sample that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes was collected.

"WGS [whole genome sequencing] analysis of that sample showed that it is the same strain of Listeria that is causing illnesses in this outbreak," the release said.

Rizo Lopez Foods has recalled all sell by dates of its dairy products and has temporarily stopped the production and distribution of the recalled products.

Update 2/8/24, 11:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.