The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising consumers that Growers Express is recalling several select fresh vegetable products, including packaged varieties of butternut squash, cauliflower, zucchini, and a butternut squashed based veggie bowl. This recalling was issued because these products could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The products were distributed to numerous states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The product being recalled in Rhode Island is Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Spirals. A full list of the products being recalled by state is available online (see link below). Most of the affected products are labeled with a "Best If Used By" Date of June 26 – June 29, 2019.
There are no reported illnesses associated with this recall.
Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Consumers who purchased any of these products are urged not to consume them and to throw the products away.