Earlier this summer, Alma Pak International, LLC., voluntarily recalled 400 boxes—that's about 12,000 pounds—of organic blueberries due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. As of July 1, that recall has escalated to a Class I risk, meaning that consumption of the contaminated products has a reasonable probability of causing "serious adverse health consequences or death," according to the FDA.
The affected products were packed in 30-pound boxes and contained the lot numbers 13325 G1060 and 13325 G1096. While the recall is no doubt concerning, the company assured the public that all of the affected products were recovered before reaching the retail market—they were only shipped to one customer in North Carolina, so there's little to no likelihood you'll have the affected blueberries in your home.
Listeria can cause serious illness, especially in pregnant women, newborns, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, headache, confusion, and, in severe cases, complications like meningitis or miscarriage. No illnesses have been reported connected to this recall.
Alma Pak International stated that they have since implemented "additional corrective actions and preventive controls to further strengthen its already rigorous food safety systems."
Expertise: Food Reviews, Trends, & Science
Education: B.A. in Psychobiology from Wheaton College, MA, and M.S. in Professional Writing from New York University
About Me: Amanda Mactas is an associate editor at Delish, where she works on feature and news stories, covering everything from the launch of Whoopi Goldberg’s Prosecco line to ranking Cheetos to reporting on the links between tap water and cancer. In addition to Delish, Amanda’s work has been featured in Eat This Not That, Time Out, Women’s Health, Global Traveler Magazine, and PureWow. She also serves as an expert panelist for USA Today’s 10Best Travel Awards. When she’s not dreaming or writing about food, she’s likely catching up on the latest true crime, watching horror movies, searching for a great matcha latte, or has her nose in a book somewhere (hopefully in another country).
