Where To Return Frozen Vegetables Affected By The Listeria Recall, Because It's Serious

The recent numbers of recalls due to bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, are undoubtedly concerning. The bacterium causes listeria or listeriosis, a serious food-borne illness caused by consuming contaminated foods. Since manufacturer CRF Food Products issued a recall on all of its frozen organic and traditional fruit and vegetable products for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination last week, a number of popular brands that use CRF Food Products, like, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods Market, have subsequently issued recalls. And the list of potential contamination by manufacturers, brands, and retailers, has certainly grown. So, here's where you can return frozen vegetables affected by listeria, because it's important to remain informed on these recall notices and the dangerous effects of listeria.

In an updated announcement released Monday, Trader Joe's indicated that it expanded its recall list of frozen food products. The company added "Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice," and "Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice," supplied by Ajinomoto Windosor, to the list of food products with potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Trader Joe's indicated in the press release that these products have been removed from store shelves. This announcement comes on the heels of previous updates to its recall list due to listeria concerns. Trader Joe's previously added, "Trader Joe’s Organic Super Sweet Cut Corn," and "Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad" that contained chicken meat, sunflower seeds, and cranberries.

If you've purchased any of the items affect by listeria, Trader Joe's recommends that customers should either discard the food items or return them to a Trader Joe's store location for a full refund, according to the store's announcement:

If you purchased these products, please do not eat them. We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe's for a full refund.

Whole Foods Market also released an announcement on May 3 recalling a number of its frozen vegetable and fruit products, following CRF Food Products' recall. Since then, the company has added items, "IQF Green Bean," supplied by Stahlbush Island Farms, Inc. and "A Blend of Kale, Sweet Corn & Peas," supplied by Cookin' Green Organic, to its recall list. The company indicated that customers can return the recalled items to a Whole Foods Market store location.

Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Kroger is another retailer affected by the growing list of recalls, and CRF Food Products' frozen vegetable and fruit product recall. The retailer listed a number of frozen vegetables that were recalled due to the Listeria monocytogenes scare. Kroger has since added other food items to the Listeria-driven recall list, including, "Tai Pei Combination Fried Rice" and "InnovAsian Cuisine Chicken Fried Rice." The company offers a full refund to customers who have purchased recalled items.

Please return the product to this store for a full refund.

The Listeria monocytogenes scare has impacted a number of products, and other retailers including, Costco, Giant, and Publix. The CRF Food Product recall — last week alone — included 358 consumer products. It continues to be important for consumers to know the latest information on recalls and other food-borne infections and illness like, salmonella. Listeria can cause cause bacteremia, meningitis, death, miscarriages, and stillbirths. Read more information on listeria and its symptoms here.