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Fresh Express Announces Precautionary Recall of a Limited Number of Cases of Veggie Lovers Salad with an Expiration Date of August 10 Due to a Possible Health Risk

SALINAS, Calif., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh Express is voluntarily recalling 2,825 cases of Veggie Lovers Salad with a Product Code of I208 and Use-by Date of August 10, 2010 out of an abundance of caution due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. No other Fresh Express salads are included in the recall. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

Only the Veggie Lovers salad products with a Product Code of I208 and a Use-by Date of August 10 are included in the recall. Retailers and Consumers who have any remaining product should not consume it, but rather discard it. Retailers and Consumers with questions may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, Monday - Friday, 5 a.m. - 8 p.m., Pacific Time. Consumers can find the Product Code and Use-by Date in the upper right-hand corner of the package.

This precautionary recall is being conducted to reach retailers as well as consumers. Consumers should check their refrigerators for Fresh Express Veggie Lovers salad with a Product Code of I208 and a Use-by Date of August 10, 2010. If they have the product, they should immediately discard it. Retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories. Fresh Express customer service representatives are already contacting retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce. Although limited in number, the cases were distributed by Fresh Express to 13 states with the potential for redistribution by customers to an additional 14 states (see listing).

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If it spreads to the nervous system symptoms may include headache, stiff neck or confusion. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.

The precautionary recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which one package of Fresh Express Veggie Lovers Salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test collected and conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Fresh Express is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. Immediately upon learning about the positive test result, Fresh Express conducted a traceability assessment and a full review of its food safety documentation, all of which were found to be in compliance and were negative for the presence of any bacteria.

    States Distributed                    Possible Redistribution States
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    MO, MI, OH,  IL, WI, IN, MD, MA, NY,   AR, TN, WV, IA, MN, DC, VA, VT,
     KS, KY, PA, NJ                        NH, NE, RI, PA, CT, MS, ME
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SOURCE Fresh Express