FDA
If potato salad or egg salad are among the snacks that you serve during Christmas Eve or Christmas Day family gatherings, you may need to toss it in the trash. Trader Joe’s products have been recalled due to a risk of listeria contamination.
The recalled items include the 6-ounce Trader Joe’s Egg Salad and the 20-ounce Old Fashioned Potato Salad. Customers can bring the recalled items back to the store for a refund.
Here’s what you need to know.
The Salads Have ‘Use By’ Dates Through December 27
Trader Joe’s Potato Salad recall
Check the date on your potato or egg salad. The recalled products have “USE BY” dates through and including December 27. The Egg Salad cups have the SKU code “UPC 0066 6695” printed on them. The Potato Salad trays are labeled with the code “UPC 0032 1747.” You can find the codes on the top or bottom of the containers.
The egg and potato salads were distributed to Trader Joe’s stores in 29 states and Washington, D.C. They include:
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
The Egg Salad & Potato Salad Recall Is Related to an Earlier Recall of Hard-Boiled Eggs Produced at a Georgia Facility
Trader Joe’s Egg Salad recalled
According to an alert from the Food and Drug Administration, the recall of the Trader Joe’s egg salad and potato salad products is directly related to another recall that was announced on December 20. The company Almark Foods, which is based in Gainesville, Georgia, recalled hard-boiled eggs that were made at the facility and distributed nationwide.
Federal health officials first notified Almark Foods on December 18 that a listeria outbreak had been potentially linked to its “Hard-Boiled and Peeled eggs in pails” products. The outbreak had sickened several people in five states and been connected to at least one death, according to the CDC. The FDA conducted a test at the Gainesville facility and found that the sample matched the strain of listeria detected in the outbreak.
Production was temporarily suspended at the Georgia facility while health officials worked to identify the source of the listeria. The hard-cooked eggs had “Best If Used By” dates through March 2, 2020. You can read more about the earlier recall here.
This has impacted Trader Joe’s because Almark Foods supplied Broken Egg Whites products that were then used to make the Egg Salad and Potato Salad.
No Illness Have Been Reported, But Listeria Can Cause Severe Stomach Pain & Lead to Miscarriages Among Pregnant Women
Trader Joe’s Potato Salad recalled
The Food and Drug Administration says that no illnesses have been reported in connection to the possible contamination of the Egg Salad and Potato Salad products.
Listeria is a bacteria that can cause severe infections, especially in young children, elderly people and those already struggling with an illness or have weakened immune systems. Symptoms include high fever, headaches, a feeling of stiffness, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The bacteria has also been known to cause pregnant women to suffer miscarriages or cause a stillbirth.
The Centers for Disease Control says that an estimated 1,600 Americans get sick from listeria each year. About 260 die from it on an annual basis.
Customers with further questions are advised to call Bakkavor Foods at (855) 312-7504, Monday through Friday 8:00P.M. – 5:00P.M. PST. Again, customers should either throw the products in the trash or return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.
READ NEXT: Is Olive Garden Open on Christmas Eve & Day?