Health & Fitness

Giant Food Listeria Recall: Throw Away Your Broccoli

The frozen broccoli you bought from Giant Food locations in Maryland should be thrown out, the company says.

CARLISLE, PA — Giant Food Stores, with locations across Maryland, said Wednesday it is voluntarily recalling frozen broccoli under its own label because it may have been contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Private Brand Frozen Broccoli Cuts (16 oz.) with a sell-by date of March 15, 2020 and UPC code 68826700926 are being recalled by the grocery chain after a supplier notified the company of the possible contamination.

Listeria Monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. It's also particularly dangerous to pregnant women, as it can cause miscarriages and still births. Healthy people usually only suffer short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Anyone who has these symptoms are urged to seek medical attention.

Giant/Martin's has removed all affected product from its shelves and urges customers to return the product to their local store for a full refund, according to a news release. While there have been no reports of illnesses to date, the frozen vegetable product is being recalled as a precautionary measure after a product sampled by the state of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a common organism found in nature.

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Customers may also contact GIANT/MARTIN’S Customer Support Center at 1-888-814-4268 for more information about Monday's voluntary recall.

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