Kiwi Fruit Recalled After State Lab Sampling Detects Listeria

David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC is voluntarily recalling from the market all one-pound clamshells of organic green kiwifruit described below because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.   The recalled organic green kiwifruit is grown in New Zealand, exported to North America and repacked locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells. The recall was the result of a routine sampling by the Kentucky Department for Public Health on July 7, 2023. Since being notified on August 3, David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC has worked with Zespri to trace the product through the supply chain to two grower lots, and immediately ceased the distribution of organic green kiwifruit from the related grower lots as it continues its investigation in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

So what is the risk?  In one study "Mangoes, a mix of diced kiwi, cantaloupe and pineapple as well as a mix of diced pineapple, mango, grapefruit, kiwi and pomegranate did not support a growth potential that exceeded 0.5 log CFU/g over six days (Ziegler etal. 2018)  However, another study showed that Listeria could survive on the outside of a kiwi for 30 days.  . Yuan and Wang (2018) found that the "three pathogens [E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes] survived for up to 30 days on whole kiwifruit when stored at the room temperature, regardless of the inoculation levels and the kiwifruit variety. The survival of pathogens on fruit surfaces had been shown by other studies."

So from a retail sampling perspective, finding Listeria on a fruit that will not support growth is an issue for recalls.  One can not overlook control of Listeria in the processing environment for products that will not support growth or have not historically had Listeria issues.  One must consider that testing and finding Listeria on such products can result in a recall situation.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/david-oppenheimer-and-company-i-llc-voluntarily-recalls-organic-green-kiwifruit-due-possible-health
David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC Voluntarily Recalls Organic Green Kiwifruit Due to Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  August 08, 2023
FDA Publish Date:  August 08, 2023
Product Type:  Food & Beverages  Fruit/Fruit Product
Reason for Announcement:  Possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination
Company Name:  David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC
Brand Name:  Zespri
Product Description:  Organic green kiwifruit

Company Announcement

August 8, 2023 / SEATTLE, WA - >David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC is voluntarily recalling from the market all one-pound clamshells of organic green kiwifruit described below because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is 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.

The recalled organic green kiwifruit is grown in New Zealand, exported to North America and repacked locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells bearing the Zespri brand and UPC code 8 18849 02009 3, containing fruit stickered with the GTIN bar code 9400 9552.

The organic green kiwifruit subject to the voluntary recall was shipped between June 14, 2023 and July 7, 2023, and sold in clamshells at retail locations in FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA, and WI. Zespri organic green kiwifruit sold in other states is NOT subject to this recall.

Zespri organic green kiwifruit shipped after August 7, 2023 in one-pound plastic clamshells with a WHITE STICKER that includes Work Order (WO) number and Packed on date is NOT affected by this recall. See example of white sticker below:

The recall was the result of a routine sampling by the Kentucky Department for Public Health on July 7, 2023. Since being notified on August 3, David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC has worked with Zespri to trace the product through the supply chain to two grower lots, and immediately ceased the distribution of organic green kiwifruit from the related grower lots as it continues its investigation in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.




No illnesses have been reported to date. No other David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC products are part of this voluntary recall.




Consumers who still have any of these products are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately. Consumers with questions may contact David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC (Oppy) at 1-866-698-2580, Monday-Friday, 9am-4:30pm PDT, or send an email to contact@oppy.com.