If you have any of this fresh fruit in your fridge, throw it away right now

Image: FDA/Country Fresh

A company called Country Fresh has recalled a whole bunch of its fruit products that are sold at Walmart stores.
The fruit is sold in clear clamshell containers and may be tainted with Listeria, an FDA investigation uncovered.
There are nearly two dozen different fruit products included in the recall, such as apples, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon.

Now that it’s officially Fall and temperatures are starting to cool off in many US states, you might try to hold on to the last gasps of summer by enjoying some fresh fruit from your local Walmart. If you happen to live in one of nine specific states, you’re going to want to rethink that.

A new food recall was just issued by distributor Country Fresh, which provides fresh sliced fruits to Walmart stores which are then sold under the store’s own brand. The recall, as posted by the FDA, cites the potential for Listeria contamination and includes just about every type of fruit you can think of.

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According to the company’s official statement, the products contain “a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes detected on equipment used in an area near where these products are packed.” It was apparently a recent FDA inspection that sounded the alarm to the presence of the bacteria, prompting the recall and further investigation.

The company ships its products to Walmart stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. They are sold in clear plastic “clamshell” containers and the products that may be contaminated have “best if used by” dates between October 3rd, 2020, and October 11th, 2020.

A statement from the company reads in part as follows:

Country Fresh takes food safety matters very seriously, stringently follows all mandated regulations and implements preventive measures designed to minimize potential risks. Country Fresh is working in close coordination with FDA in its continuing investigation to resolve the matter promptly and deeply regrets the inconvenience to our consumers and customers.

A bit of good news in all of this is that the company says that it has not received any reports of illnesses related to the possible contamination. It’s entirely possible that the food itself was not contaminated, though since it’s impossible to be sure, the recall is the best thing to do moving forward.

There are a total of 22 individual products that are indicated as part of the recall. They contain fresh-cut fruits and blends. Some of the fruits that are potentially dangerous include red grapes, pineapple chunks, mango chunks and spears, red apple slices, green apple slices, and various mixtures of seasonal and tropical fruits.

You can find all the specific details regarding the product codes on the FDA’s bulletin page, so go ahead and give that a look if you think you might have some of these products in your home. Here’s the full list: