Company Issues Another Recall for Green Beans After Listeria Positive Sample is Detected

Cascadian Farms, an organic division of General Mills, is recalling frozen green beans after a product sample was found to be positive for Listeria.   This comes after Cascadian Farms issued a recall back in August for product produced in 2014 when that product was found to be positive for Listeria.

Proper cooking of the green beans by the consumer will eliminate the Listeria, but there is a concern that people will not follow cooking instructions.  There have been no illnesses associated with this product.

The most likely source of Listeria contamination is in the processing environment.  Generally, green beans are blanched by the processor before freezing.  This blanching would eliminate the organism.  however, Listeria is problematic in that it can establish itself within moist, cool processing environments such as those used to make green beans.  Facilities work to prevent Listeria contamination through following practices such as good sanitation, controlling movement in and out of more critical areas (post blanch - freezing - packaging), and then monitoring those areas.

Freezing the product does not allow the organism to grow, but freezing will not eliminate it.


Wall Street Journal Business
http://www.wsj.com/articles/general-mills-recalls-another-batch-of-green-beans-due-to-listeria-1443815248
General Mills Recalls Another Batch of Green Beans Due to Listeria
Company says it found a pack of Cascadian Farm Cut green beans with listeria; it had seen another in August
By Josh Beckerman Oct. 2, 2015 3:47 p.m. ET

General Mills Inc. GIS 0.39 % is voluntarily recalling a small amount of frozen Cascadian Farm Cut Green Beans after a package tested positive for listeria, the second listeria-related recall for this brand of green bean this year.

The recall involves green beans produced on one day in June and is limited to 16-ounce bags with a “Better If Used By” date of 29JUNE2017.

General Mills said no related illnesses have been reported.

In another listeria-related recall of Cascadian Farm green beans in August, the company recalled 10-ounce packages produced over two days in March 2014. At the time of that announcement, the company hadn’t fielded any reports of illness.

Food-safety experts say listeria is a particularly tricky and virulent pathogen that blossoms in refrigerated environments. Listeria typically doesn’t cause significant illnesses in healthy people but poses a high risk for pregnant women, newborns, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

Listeria concerns have hit Blue Bell Creameries LP, which pulled its ice cream from stores in April and resumed sales in August, and Sabra, which recalled 30,000 cases of hummus in April.

In September, the Food and Drug Administration finalized new rules that for the first time will require U.S. food manufacturers to develop and implement detailed plans to prevent foodborne illness. The two long-awaited regulations move the government closer to implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act, which Congress passed five years ago.







FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm465921.htm
General Mills Voluntarily Recalls a Limited Quantity of Frozen Cascadian Farm Cut Green Beans
Contact:  Consumer: 1-800-624-4123
Media:  Mike Siemienas  763-764-6364  Media.line@genmills.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –October 2, 2015 – MINNEAPOLIS –General Mills today announced a voluntary class 2 recall of a limited quantity of frozen Cascadian Farm Cut Green Beans produced on one day in June 2015. The recall is being issued as a precaution after one package of finished product tested positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product.

This voluntary recall is limited to 16-ounce bags of frozen Cascadian Farm Cut Green Beans with a "Better If Used By" date printed on the package:

29JUN2017

No other varieties or production dates of Cascadian Farm products are affected by this recall.

The product was distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

Consumers are urged to dispose of the products affected by this recall and contact Cascadian Farm Consumer Relations at 1-800-624-4123 for a replacement.