A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous , the manufacturer said Tuesday.
TreeHouse Foods Inc., of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson's, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said.
No illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed.
The company is working with the U.S. and Canadian food safety regulators to resolve the problem. The recalled waffles are sold under a variety of names including Walmart鈥檚 Great Value and Target鈥檚 Good & Gather. A complete list of the affected products can be found . Consumers should throw away the products or return them to stores for a refund.
TreeHouse officials issued after routine testing found listeria at the Brantford, Ontario, factory. Additional testing indicated that more manufacturing lines at the plant could be contaminated with the bacteria, the company said. Production was halted and the company said it intends to restart production after taking steps that include 鈥渄eep cleaning, sanitation, hygienic restoration" and other procedures.
The company operates 26 sites in the U.S. and Canada that make private brand foods and beverages, according to its website. No other plants were affected, officials said.
Listeria infections can cause mild illness including fever and diarrhea or more serious problems. The illness is to pregnant women, newborns, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms can take up to 10 weeks to appear.
The CDC estimates that 1,600 people are infected with listeria each year in the United States and .
This is the third large U.S. recall in recent months of foods potentially contaminated with listeria, a hardy bacteria that can be difficult to eradicate.
In July, Boar's Head Provision Co. Inc. of Sarasota, Florida, recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meat and shut down its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, led to at least 10 deaths and nearly 50 hospitalizations.
This month Oregon-based BrucePac of meat and poultry processed at an Oklahoma plant after routine testing detected listeria.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press
