What to know about food poisoning illnesses caused by listeria
A listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks has sickened at least 10 people in the U.S., and a producer is voluntarily recalling dozens of products sold to retail stores, hospitals, hotels, airports and airlines, federal officials said.
The products were made by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC and were sold in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington.
Those who fell ill and were hospitalized were in California and Nevada. The outbreak has been simmering for many months: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said cases date to December 2023.
Listeria poisoning is caused by a particularly resilient type of bacteria that can survive and grow even during refrigeration. About 1,600 people are infected with it — and 260 die — each year in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Here's what you need to know:
The voluntary recall covers more than 80 specific products distributed between April 18 and April 25. The products have 'Use By' dates from April 22 to May 19.
Brand names include: Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go and Fresh Take Crave Away.
Federal officials say anyone with the products should throw them away or return them. They also suggest cleaning any surfaces that touched the recalled foods.
Listeria bacteria thrive in moist environments, including soil and water and decaying vegetation and are carried by some animals.
The hardy germs are typically spread when food is harvested, processed, transported or stored in places that are contaminated with the bacteria.
When the bacteria get into a food processing plant, they can be tough to eradicate.
Foods contaminated with the bacteria can make people sick. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illness can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
Listeria poisoning is tricky because symptoms can start quickly, within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. But they also can take weeks or up to three months to show up.
Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.
Listeria can survive and grow in refrigerated food. It can be killed by heating foods to 'steaming hot,' or 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius), the CDC says. But that's not always possible — or palatable — for foods that are made to be eaten cold.
Because listeria can survive under refrigeration, it's important to clean and sanitize any surfaces, including refrigerator drawers and shelves, that may have come in contact with the products.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
CVD Mortality Higher in Women With Inflammatory Diseases
Although cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality decreased significantly from 1999 to 2020 in both men and women with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), women consistently had higher rates of CVD-related mortality than men over the 22-year period. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed CDC Multiple Cause of Death files from 1999 to 2020 to assess the sex differences in CVD-related mortality in patients with IMIDs. They identified CVD-related deaths with underlying IMIDs in the United States using diagnostic codes. IMIDs such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis were analyzed. The analysis included 281,355 IMID-related deaths and 127,149 CVD-related deaths over a period of 22 years. Annual crude and adjusted death rates were estimated. TAKEAWAY: Age-adjusted CVD-related mortality for women with IMIDs declined from 3.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to 1.4 per 100,000 in 2020, whereas the rate in men with IMIDs declined from 2.3 to 1.1 per 100,000 ( P < .01). < .01). However, women had higher mortality than men throughout the study duration (mortality rate ratio, 1.5; P < .01). < .01). Cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease were major causes of death, with women more affected than men; women experienced mortality from arrhythmia and cardiac arrest at more than twice the rate of men. Among patients with IMIDs, women with rheumatoid arthritis had disproportionately higher crude CVD-related mortality than men with rheumatoid arthritis. IN PRACTICE: 'Addressing these risks requires increasing awareness of atypical cardiovascular symptoms in females with IMIDs, enhancing early detection through advanced imaging, and ensuring equitable access to therapies like biologics,' the study authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Issam Motairek, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland. It was published online on May 5, 2025, in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes . LIMITATIONS: The potential inaccuracies in the codes for identifying the cause of death may have misclassified IMIDs or CVD-related causes. The aggregate data structure prevented the analyses of individual-level factors such as severity of disease or treatments. Less common IMIDs were excluded, which may have underestimated their contribution to CVD. DISCLOSURES: This study received no specific funding. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
US Health Secretary Kennedy guts vaccine advisory committee
By Ahmed Aboulenein, Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all 17 members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is in the process of replacing them, his department said on Monday, drawing protest from many vaccine scientists. The move is the most far-reaching in a series of actions by Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, to reshape U.S. regulation of vaccines, food and medicine. Scientists and experts said the changes to the vaccine panel, which recommends how vaccines are used and by whom, would undermine public confidence in health agencies. Kennedy promised the move would raise public confidence. "Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," Kennedy said in a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has for years sown doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, but he pledged to maintain the country's existing vaccine standards to secure his appointment in President Donald Trump's administration. The Food and Drug Administration, which is overseen by Kennedy's department, has approved a number of vaccines during his tenure despite concerns over his stances. Even so, at least one senior Republican member of Congress expressed doubts about the changes in the panel. Kennedy said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is rife with conflicts and has never turned down a vaccine, even though the decision to approve vaccines rests with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The CDC panel provides guidance to the CDC on which groups of people would most benefit from an already-approved vaccine. "That's a tragedy," said former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman. "This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others... It's the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence." The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called Kennedy's action concerning for public health. "Upending the ACIP membership increases uncertainty and vaccine skepticism, undermining the health gains achieved through vaccination," the industry body said in a statement late on Monday. Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech fell more than 1%, while Pfizer was down marginally in extended trading on Monday. Kennedy said most panel members receive funding from drugmakers although members are required to declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that arise in the course of their tenure and any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organizations relevant to the committee's work. Kennedy and HHS provided no specific evidence of industry conflicts of interest among departing ACIP members. The CDC's web page for conflicts of interest, last updated in March, showed that one current member had recused herself from votes on a handful of vaccines because she had worked on clinical trials for their manufacturers. BIDEN APPOINTEES All 17 ACIP members were appointed under former President Joe Biden's administration, including 13 in 2024, HHS said. Without their removal, Trump's administration would not have been able to choose a majority of the committee until 2028. "This is not a political committee, it's never been partisan," said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco. "It's an expert committee. Presidents have never been involved in ACIP membership." The decision drew criticism from Democrats in Congress, and one key Republican expressed concern. "Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion," said Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy in a post on X. "I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case." Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana who had expressed wariness about Kennedy's anti-vaccine views before clearing the path for him to become the nation's top health official, said at the time he had received assurances Kennedy would protect existing vaccination programs. The CDC panel will convene its next meeting June 25-27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the department said. Vetting new panel members typically takes months, said one expert with close ties to the committee, who expressed doubts the newly appointed panel would be able to meet on time unless Kennedy and his team "have been working in the shadows" to onboard them months ahead of the announcement. Kennedy has drawn condemnation from health officials for his vaccine policies including what they say is a weak endorsement of the measles shots during an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000 mostly unvaccinated people and killed three. He announced last month the government was dropping its recommendation that healthy children and pregnant women should receive COVID shots, sidestepping the typical process. Traditionally, once the FDA approves vaccines for sale to the public, ACIP's role is to review data in a public meeting and vote on vaccine recommendations, which are then sent to the CDC director to sign off. The Affordable Care Act generally requires insurers to cover vaccines that are listed on the CDC vaccine schedules for adults and children. The recommendations also determine which vaccines the CDC's Vaccines for Children program will provide free of charge to those without insurance.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
A northern Arizona county is reporting 4 measles cases, the state's first in 2025
Health officials in Navajo County in northern Arizona say they've confirmed four measles cases, which are the first cases of the highly contagious respiratory virus in Arizona in 2025. The announcement from the Navajo County Public Health Services District June 9 came amid a national surge of measles, with 1,168 cases reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as of June 6, which is more than four times the number reported during all of 2024. Compounding the threat for Arizonans are recent cases in five neighboring states: California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The four cases in Navajo County involve people who were not vaccinated against measles. The four were infected from a single source and have a recent history of international travel, health district officials say. Public health officials are trying to identify locations where exposure may have happened and are in the process of identifying people who may have been exposed, the Navajo County health district said in a written statement. Officials estimate the "potential exposure" dates were between May 17 and May 28 and said anyone who may have been exposed should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. Symptoms include a high fever of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes and a rash beginning at the head and spreading downward A measles outbreak that began earlier this year in Texas killed two unvaccinated school-age children, resulted in 94 hospitalizations and totaled 742 cases overall. In a related outbreak, New Mexico health officials as of June 3 reported 81 measles cases and the death of one adult who tested positive for measles. Arizona is particularly vulnerable to a measles outbreak because community protection has been waning as an increasing number of parents and guardians are choosing not to vaccinate their children with the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, known as MMR. There likely are several reasons for the decline, including problems accessing the vaccine, vaccine skepticism and a lack of scientifically accurate education about the risks and benefits of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. Measles can affect people of any age and cause an array of complications, including deafness, blindness and brain inflammation, in addition to death. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective in protecting against measles infection, evidence shows. Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona confirms 4 measles cases amid a national surge
