Walmart is being forced to conduct a massive recall of a vegetable widely consumed by North Americans. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered the retailer to remove this food item, which has been classified as contaminated with Listeria. Additionally, the FDA has urged consumers not to consume the product under any circumstances.
Companies associated with the food industry must comply with numerous regulations and requirements for their products to reach supermarkets and stores. It is important to reiterate that consuming contaminated food poses a significant health risk to all living beings.
Walmart is removing a contaminated product from its stores.
The food item that must be removed from Walmart stores is Enoki mushrooms from Taiwan, produced by HH Fresh Trading Corp of California, as they are contaminated with Listeria, a highly aggressive bacteria that causes health problems in humans. According to the FDA report, “they were distributed in West Virginia in several retail stores” and the contamination was detected through rigorous testing.
Listeria is a common bacteria found in food and occurs due to poor cleaning of company machinery. In children and pregnant women, the consequences can be fatal, and even healthy individuals can develop severe conditions.
“HH Fresh Trading received a notification on 10/11/2024, and testing of a 200-gram sample of Enoki revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on 9/9/2024”, the FDA report states.
The consequences of Listeria contamination
As a bacteria, common symptoms usually occur. However, depending on each individual’s immune system, Listeria can impact people in different ways. The most common symptoms include:
- High fever
- Severe headache
- Stiffness
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea