Tainted Corn from Unnamed Supplier Causing Salad Recalls at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Walmart

10/18/18—Check your fridge, and for more than just one product this time—due to a recall of tainted corn from an unnamed supplier, multiple grocery stores and food retailers all over the country are recalling a variety of ready-to-eat salads and wraps that may have been contaminated with listeria and salmonella.

While the supplier of the corn has yet to be named, the recall includes salads and wraps sold at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, 7-Eleven, Walmart, and other stores, with more possibly on the way. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, no illnesses have been reported yet, but the FSIS is still urging you to throw out or return any recalled products you may have purchased.

All of the companies with products included in the recall were alerted within the past few days that corn used in some of their products may have been contaminated with listeria and salmonella, but none of the companies have named the corn supplier yet. So far, the recall includes salads and wraps that were distributed in nine different states all across the country, but since the corn supplier remains unnamed, even more could be added to the list in the next few days.

Here’s a list of all the recalls linked to the contaminated corn that have been announced so far:

The first to be announced in this wave recalls, Prime Deli Corporation recalled over 200 pounds of ready-to-eat salads sold at 7-Eleven stores in Texas that included the contaminated corn. The problem was discovered when the company received word that the corn used in the salads was being recalled by their corn supplier. The FSIS is urging consumers to check their fridges for the following products:

• 11.2-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “7-Eleven Bistro Southwest Style Salad with Bacon,” with a best-by date of “Tuesday 1016.”
• 9.6-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “7-Eleven Bistro Southwest Style Salad with Bacon” and a best-by date of “Tuesday 1016.”

Another way to check if any salads you bought are included in the recall is to look at the USDA mark of inspection on the package—all of the recalled salads have the establishment number “EST. 13553” inside the mark.

See the USDA's recall for more information.

GH Foods CA LLC, a California-based grocery chain, also announced a recall of nearly 1,000 pounds of ready-to-eat salads that include the contaminated corn, including the 365 brand sold by Whole Foods. The products included in the recall were shipped to retailers in California. Be sure to check your fridge for these products and throw them out:

• 9.75-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “Santa Fe Style Salad with Chicken,” and a “best if sold by” date ranging from October 17 to October 18, 2018.
• 10-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “365 by Whole Foods Market BBQ Style Chopped Salad with Chicken,” and “best if sold by” dates ranging from October 17 to October 20, 2018.
• 6-lbs. bagged salad kits containing “BBQ Style Salad Kit with White Chicken,” and “use by” dates ranging from October 17 to October 22, 2018.
• 8-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “365 by Whole Foods Market Chicken Fajita Salad” and “best if sold by” dates ranging from October 17 to October 20, 2018.

You can also check the USDA mark of inspection—each of the recalled products will have the establishment number “EST. P-39994” inside the mark.

Visit the USDA's website for more information and photos of the packaging.

Also included in the recall, Mary’s Harvest Fresh Foods announced a recall of over 900 pounds of ready-to-eat wraps and salads that were shipped to retailers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The salads and wraps also include the contaminated corn, some of which were sold at Trader Joe’s stores. The recalled products include:

• 7-oz. clear plastic wrapped packages containing “Mary’s Harvest Southwest Chicken Wrap w/ Rib Meat,” and “use by” dates ranging from October 15 to October 23, 2018.
• 11-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “Trader Jose’s Mexicali Inspired Salad with Chili Seasoned Chicken,” and “best by” dates from October 15 to October 19, 2018.

All of the products included in the recall have the establishment number “P-39928” or “40310-M” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

GHSE, LLC, based in Florida, announced a recall of over 700 pounds of ready-to-eat salads produced under Walmart’s Marketside brand, because they also contain the contaminated corn. The salads were shipped to retailers in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, according to the USDA. There’s only one type of salad included in the recall, so check your fridge for this product:

• 15.25-oz. clear plastic clamshell packages containing “Marketside Fiesta Salad with Steak,” and a “use by” date from October 17 to October 20, 2018.

The packages of recalled salad will also have the establishment number “EST. 45791” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Get more information about the salad included in this recall.

According to Food Safety News, Schnuck Markets, a grocery chain based in St. Louis, is also recalling chicken salads containing the contaminated corn from 32 of its stores. All of the stores are located in Missouri, and only one kind of salad is included in the recall:

• “Schnucks Santa Fe Chicken Salad,” with the UPC number 82676695142.

Schnuck Markets is urging anyone who bought the product to either throw it out or return it to the store for a full refund.

Get more info about this recall from Food Safety News.

Thankfully, no illnesses have been linked to any of the above recalls yet, but you can still begin experiencing symptoms of listeriosis up to two months after eating contaminated food, so don’t take any chances. Both salmonella and listeriosis can cause nasty, flu-like symptoms, even resulting in death. Common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food (but the illness can last 4 to 7 days). Listeriosis may cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms (like vomiting), but can also cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, and convulsions.