Frozen Waffle Recall Sparks Nationwide Listeria Warning
A large number of frozen waffle products have been recalled due to potential contamination with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
TreeHouse Foods, Inc. voluntarily recalled several hundred waffle products across 25 of its brands, which have been distributed around the U.S. and Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.
The brands involved include:
- Always Save
- Best Choice
- Bettergoods
- Breakfast Best
- Compliments
- Clover Valley
- Essentials
- Food Lion
- Foodhold
- Giant Eagle
- Good & Gather
- Great Value
- Hannaford
- Harris Teeter
- H-E-B Higher Harvest
- Kodiak Cakes
- No Name
- Pics By Price Chopper
- Publix
- Schnucks
- Se Grocers
- Selection
- Simple Truth
- Tops
- Western Family
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Top Health Savings Account (HSA) Providers
Stock image of blueberry waffles served with a hot beverage. Several hundred frozen waffle products have been recalled due to possible contamination with ‘Listeria monocytogenes.’
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
The recalled products include a vast range of frozen waffles, such as blueberry waffles, chocolate chip waffles, pumpkin waffles, buttermilk waffles, multigrain waffles, homestyle waffles, and protein waffles.
The FDA has listed all the affected products, and has urged customers to check their freezers.
More From Newsweek Vault: What Is a Health Savings Account?
“Consumers and retailers can identify the UPC on the back of the carton, and the Lot Code and Best By Date for these products on the end of the carton,” the FDA said.
Customers are encouraged to dispose of the products if they find them, or return them to where they bought them.
The products were recalled after a routine test at the TreeHouse Foods manufacturing facility.
“TreeHouse Foods has expanded its voluntary recall to now include all griddle products manufactured at our Brantford, Ontario, Canada, facility. The frozen toaster waffle, Belgian waffle and pancake products are being recalled due to the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. We have no confirmed reports of illness or injury linked to the recalled products,” a spokesperson for Treehouse Foods told Newsweek.
“We are working with our retail customers to retrieve and destroy the recalled products, and encourage consumers to check their freezers for any of the products subject to the recall and dispose of them, or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Learn More About the Different Types of Savings Accounts
Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that can cause a serious infection known as listeriosis. It is commonly found in contaminated food, particularly in raw or unpasteurized dairy products, deli meats, and some processed foods.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., with about 1,600 infections and 260 deaths across the country every year.
“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. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea,” the FDA says.
Listeria is notable because it can grow in colder temperatures, including in refrigerators, which makes it more challenging to control compared to other bacteria.
Vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, newborns, elderly people, and individuals with weakened immune systems are most at risk, and in severe cases, the infection can spread to the nervous system, leading to meningitis or encephalitis.
“Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women,” the FDA said.
Update 10/23/24, 12:52 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from a spokesperson for Treehouse Foods.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about recalls? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
