Listeria Contamination Fears Prompt Sandwich Recall

Prepackaged sandwiches made by Fisher/Rex Sandwiches of Raleigh, NC are being recalled because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a form of bacteria that can cause potentially fatal food poisoning.

The recalled sandwiches were sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and other retail locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, the Food and Drug Administration recall notice said. All Fisher/Rex sandwiches with a seven-digit lot code are being recalled. Sandwiches with five-digit lot codes are not being recalled and are not suspected of carrying Listeria contamination, the FDA said.

There have been no reports of consumers becoming sick after eating contaminated Fisher/Rex sandwiches, but the recall was announced after a routine inspection determined some of the sandwiches were tainted with Listeria bacteria, officials said. The company has stopped producing and distributing sandwiches while the FDA investigates the source of the contamination.

Listeria: A Leading Form of Food Poisoning

Listeria food poisoning can result in serious and occasionally fatal infections, particularly in young children, the frail or elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, the FDA warns. Also, the organism can cause miscarriages or stillbirths in pregnant women. Most healthy people exposed to Listeria develop only short-term symptoms such as high fever, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Each year, an estimated 76 million Americans develop some form of food poisoning, including that caused by Listeria.

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