The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now attached its most serious recall category — Class I — to the broccoli from Braga Fresh. It is a Salinas, California-based producer of fresh salad greens and vegetables. These broccolis were distributed at Walmart stores in 20 states. This comes after the FDA initiated an initial recall on December 31, 2024, for the washed and ready-to-eat Marketside Broccoli Florets’ 12-ounce bags. The agency had learned about the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in several samples taken from a Walmart store in Texas.
FDA labels Walmart’s broccoli as Class I risk
The FDA listed Braga Fresh’s broccoli from Walmart as a Class I risk in a notice published on January 27, 2024. This has led to Braga Fresh pulling back a single lot of 12-ounce bags of washed and ready-to-eat Marketside Broccoli Florets from the market. The 20 states where the broccoli had been distributed in Walmart branches are Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The packages being recalled have a best-used-by-date of December 10, 2024. Additionally, their UPC is 6 81131 32884 5 and their lot code is BFFG327A6. FDA has advised consumers to throw away the product immediately if they have it at their home.
At the time of this article’s composition, no death related to the recall has been reported. However, according to the agency’s website, Class I designation means “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria. It is the most common cause of the infectious and foodborne disease known as Listeriosis. The bacteria thrive in soil, groundwater, rotting vegetation, and animal feces. A person generally develops a case of Listeriosis by ingesting contaminated food. The disease can affect anyone. However, pregnant individuals, people who are aged 65 or older, and developing fetuses are the most vulnerable. Severe cases can potentially result in sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, permanent health issues, and even death.
