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Sunday, November 19, 2023

Stone Fruit Recalled After Linked to Listeria Outbreak with 11 cases

The HMC Group Marketing, Inc., based in Kinsburg, CA, which does business as HMC Farms, is voluntarily recalling peaches, plums and nectarines sold in retail stores between May 1 and November 15, 2022 and between May 1 and November 15, 2023. The fruit is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The recalled peaches have been linked to an outbreak of Listeriosis that has resulted in eleven illnesses.  There has been one reported death.
The age range  is from 30 to 80 years    Median age of 69    73% are 65 years or older

The source of Listeria in these cases is likely to be the facility in which the product is packed.  Product in these packages will often be washed and dried prior to filling in the bag.  These washing / drying systems are areas where investigators will likely focus sampling.



https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/hmc-farms-voluntarily-recalls-whole-peaches-plums-and-nectarines-sold-retail-stores-2022-and-2023
HMC Farms Voluntarily Recalls Whole Peaches, Plums and Nectarines Sold at Retail Stores in 2022 and 2023 Because of Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  November 17, 2023
FDA Publish Date:  November 17, 2023
Product Type:  Food & Beverages  Fruit/Fruit Product
Reason for Announcement:  Potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes
Company Name:  The HMC Group Marketing, Inc.
Brand Name:  Multiple brands
Product Description:  Whole Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines

Company Announcement

November 17, 2023 - The HMC Group Marketing, Inc., which does business as HMC Farms, is voluntarily recalling peaches, plums and nectarines sold in retail stores between May 1 and November 15, 2022 and between May 1 and November 15, 2023. The fruit is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that 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 fruit was distributed nationwide and sold at retail stores as individual pieces of fruit bearing PLU stickers (see photos) or in consumer packaging (also shown in the attached photos) AND sold at retail between May 1 and November 15, 2022 and between May 1 and November 15, 2023.

This recall includes only conventionally grown fruit – no organic fruit is being recalled. Peaches, plums, and nectarines currently available for sale at retail stores are not included in this recall.

The recalled peaches have been linked to an outbreak of Listeriosis that has resulted in eleven illnesses.

Consumers: Although the recalled fruit is no longer available in retail stores, consumers may have frozen the recalled fruit at home for later use. Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled fruit, not consume it, and discard it. Consumers with further questions can contact the company’s consumer information desk at 844-483-3867, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

This recall is being carried out with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.


Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis Infections Linked to Peaches
Posted November 20, 2023

Fast Facts
Illnesses: 11
Hospitalizations: 10
Deaths: 1
States: 7
Recall: Yes
Investigation status: Active

November 20, 2023
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections.

Epidemiologic and laboratory data show that HMC Farms peaches, nectarines, and plums may be contaminated with Listeria and are making people sick.

Epidemiologic Data
As of November 17, 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from seven states (see map). Sick people’s samples were collected from August 22, 2018, to August 16, 2023 (see timeline). Of ten people with information available, all have been hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and had a preterm labor. One death has been reported from California.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people or their family, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.

The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).

Demographics InformationTable of demographic information (n is the number of people with information available)
Age  (n=11) Range from 30 to 80 years    Median age of 69  73% are 65 years or older
Sex  (n=11) 64% Male  36% Female
Race  (n=10) 80% White 10% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 10% reported more than one race
Ethnicity  (n=9) 89% non-Hispanic  11% Hispanic
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. Of the seven people interviewed, all (100%) reported eating peaches, nectarines, or plums.

CDC conducted a case-case analysis, comparing foods reported by people in this outbreak to foods reported by people who got sick with Listeria but were not part of an outbreak. The analysis showed that people in this outbreak were 18 times more likely to eat peaches, nectarines, or plums (p<0.001) than sick people not in this outbreak. This suggests that peaches, nectarines, and plums are a likely source of this outbreak.

Laboratory Data
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).

WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

On October 23, FDA collected a sample of HMC Farms peaches for testing and found Listeria in it. On November 6, WGS showed that the Listeria in the peaches are closely related to bacteria from sick people. This means that people likely got sick from eating these peaches.

Public Health Actions
On November 17, HMC Farms recalled whole peaches, plums, and nectarines sold in stores between May 1 and November 15 in 2022 and 2023. CDC is advising people not to eat, sell, or serve recalled fruit.

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