Vegetable Smoothie Blends and Listeria - Recall and Controlling Risk

A Smoothie Blend is being recalled after Listeria was detected in the spinach and/or kale ingredients used in the blend. There have been no  illnesses and the organism has not been detected in the finished product.

The risk associated with vegetable smoothies is that some of the vegetable ingredients may be sources of Listeria.  Listeria can contaminate vegetables, such as kale or spinach, at the field level or during storage.  The latter can be more of an issue because vegetable storage areas are cool and often damp, which fits the growth conditions conducive to Listeria.  With longer storage times, in some cases from one packing season to the next (in order for the processors to make product throughout the year), there may be increased opportunity for Listeria contamination.

Many of these vegetables have been traditionally cooked, and so, long term storage had not been a big issue.  But with smoothies, there is no cooling step to eliminate an organism like Listeria.  These vegetables are blended in the raw state and then consumed.  Additionally, once blended, storage of vegetable matrix could serve to enhance the numbers because the matrix would likely support growth, albeit slowly if stored at refrigeration temperatures.

Blenders may also use frozen vegetables.  These vegetables are oaten produced with the intention that they will be cooked (thus they have cooking instructions), but blenders will use them without cooking.

For companies blending smoothies, supplier control is critical.  Other control steps in include having a washing/sanitizing step in place prior to blending as well as a strict refrigeration and a tight shelf-life.  For consumers who blend raw vegetables - use sound vegetables, wash produce well, and then consume immediately upon blending.

Of course Listeria is not the only pathogen that can be associated with produce.  Produce contain bacteria pathogens, such as Salmonella or STEC E.coli, viruses, and parasites.  Generally, however, the risk would be considered very low, especially when farmers follow GAP principles.

 

 

This product, pictured here, is sold frozen.  Freezing would prevent growth of Listeria, but once thawed, Listeria would be able to grow.

 FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm430735.htm
Inventure Foods, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall Of Its Rader Farms® Fresh Start Smoothie Blend, Sunrise Refresh Fusion, And Daily Power Fusion Due To Possible Health Risk

Contact 
Consumer:  Inventure Foods Customer Service   866-890-1004
Media:  Matt Jackson   Lambert, Edwards & Associates mjackson@lambert-edwards.com
616-233-0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 18, 2015 – Inventure Foods, Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona, has issued a precautionary recall of its RADER FARMS® Fresh Start Smoothie Blend, Fresh Start Sunrise Refresh Fusion, and Fresh Start Daily Power Fusion because of a potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which 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 only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

These recalled blends themselves did not test positive for Listeria monocytogenes. However, Listeria moncytogenes was detected on spinach and/or kale ingredients on another lot which is currently placed on hold. These spinach and kale ingredients used to manufacture the recalled blends were supplied by the same outside party.

Fresh Start Smoothie Blend is distributed in 48 oz. (3 lbs.) packages at Costco in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan of Canada.

The Fresh Start Sunrise Refresh Fusion and Fresh Start Daily Power Fusion products are distributed in 35 oz. packages at Walmart in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The packages carry the Rader Farms and Fresh Start logos and are sold in the frozen fruit aisle of the store. The products being recalled are identified in the table below:
See Link for List
There are no known illnesses linked to consumption of Rader Farms Fresh Start Blends to date.

Consumers who have purchased Rader Farms Fresh Start Blends are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Inventure Foods Customer Service department at 866-890-1004, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4 p.m. PST, email info@inventurefoods.com or visit RaderFarms.com/FreshStartRecall .

About Inventure Foods, Inc. and Rader Farms

Rader Farms is a division of Inventure Foods, Inc. and has operated in the Pacific Northwest since 1941.

With manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Indiana, Washington, Oregon and Georgia, Inventure Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAK) is a marketer and manufacturer of specialty food brands in better-for-you and indulgent categories under a variety of Company owned and licensed brand names, including Boulder Canyon FoodsTM, Jamba®, Seattle’s Best Coffee®, Rader Farms®, TGI FridaysTm , Nathan’s Famous®, Vidalia Brands®, Poore Brothers®, Tato Skins®, Willamette Valley Fruit CompanyTM, Fresh FrozenTM and Bob’s Texas Style®. For further information about Inventure Foods, please visit www.inventurefoods.com .