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A voluntary recall of all salad products bearing the name “Dole Hearts Delight” was issued by Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Dole Food Company, Inc. following fears that the product may be contaminated by E.coli. The recall was issued after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found a positive sample.
Dole said that all “Dole Hearts Delight” products sold in the U.S. and Canada with a "best if used by (BIUB)" date of September 19, 2007, and a production code of "A24924A" or "A24924B" were subject to the recall.
Escherichia coli or (E. coli) is a bacterium normally found in the gut of human beings. Under normal circumstances, the bacteria play an important role in waste processing, vitamin K production, and food absorption from the large intestine.
However the E. coli strain O157:H7 is associated with a host of illnesses in man. Prime among these diseases are food poisoning, urinary tract infections, peritonitis, meningitis and septicemia.
The O157:H7 strain of E.coli was linked to the outbreak caused by fresh bagged spinach in late 2006. That outbreak claimed at least three lives and sickened hundreds. In the very young and the very old, E.coli can prove to be a fatal infection. E.coli is also found in raw and undercooked beef, infected water and milk.
Symptoms of E.coli infection include bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most E.coli infections are linked to consuming undercooked, contaminated ground beef, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It added that there are at least 76 million cases of food borne disease reported in the country each year.
Consumers can prevent E. coli O157:H7 infection by cooking ground beef thoroughly and by avoiding drinking unpasteurized milk. Additionally washing hands carefully before preparing or eating food is also advised.
The current recall is the latest in a series of E.coli fears to hit produce in the United States and Canada. Earlier this month Metz Fresh, a King City-based grower and shipper had issued a recall of fresh spinach after salmonella was discovered during a routine test.
Earlier this year, salmonella was also implicated in Peter Pan peanut butter across 39 states in the US. Although no casualties were reported, at least 20 percent of the people who were infected had to be hospitalized.
Last year E.coli fears had hit the Salinas Valley and had resulted in the death of three people and sickened hundreds others.
In the current recall, Dole stressed that no illnesses had been reported thus far. "Our overriding concern is for consumer safety. We are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and several U.S. state health departments.," Eric Schwartz, President, Dole Fresh Vegetables said in a released statement.
"Consumers who may still have any of the “Dole Hearts Delight” salads with a "best if used by date" of September 19 and a production code of "A24924A" or "A24924B" should dispose of the product. This product was sold in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada and in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and neighboring states in the U.S," Dole said in a press release.
Following simple guidelines can prevent E.coli infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the following guidelines to prevent E.coli infection:
* Cook all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly
* If you are served an undercooked hamburger or other ground beef product in a restaurant, send it back for further cooking.
* Wash fruits and vegetables under running water, especially those that will not be cooked.
* Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements to reduce the risk of spreading infection.
Interested can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342, or TTY 1-800-465-7735, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday for more information on this recall.
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