Cut Romaine lettuce subject of recall due to Listeria contamination

True Leaf Farms has announced a recall on chopped Romaine lettuce it distributes in the Pacific Northwest because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

According to a release from the company, the recall includes 90 cartons of the product. Cartons are filled with two-pounds bags of chopped Romaine lettuce. Recalled products feature the Bag and Box code of B256-46438-8. The affected product has a Use By date of Sept. 23 (marked 9/23/11). Only chopped Romaine lettuce from True Leaf Farms is included in the recall.

According to the release, True Leaf Farms shipped  the potentially contaminated chopped Romaine lettuce to an institutional food distributor, Church Bros., in Oregon on Sept. 12 and 13. That distributor sold the product to other food distributors and customers in Oregon and Washington.

The company says no illnesses have been linked to the consumption of its chopped Romaine lettuce.

Listeria poisoning poses serious health risks to pregnant women and can result in miscarriage and stillbirth of a baby. Some cases of Listeria poisoning can result in death. A current outbreak of Listeria bacteria affecting cantaloupe has claimed 16 lives and sickened more than 70.

Early symptoms of Listeria poisoning are fever, severe pain in the muscles and joints, headaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Many cases of Listeria poisoning require hospitalization for treatment.