Cashews, Macadamia nuts recalled for possible listeria risk

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two unrelated nut recalls — Kroger’s Simple Truth Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts and Ava’s Organic Cashews Roasted & Salted — because they may be contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Although most people suffer only short-term symptoms from listeria, the infection caused by exposure to the bacterium, pregnant women, their unborn children or newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems can suffer serious complications or death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Macadamia nuts affected by the recall have a UPC code of 11110-02478 and a sell-by date of May 2, 2018, and they come in 12-ounce packages. According to the FDA, they were sold in Kroger, Gerbes, Backers and Dillons stores in Ohio, Southeast Indiana, Kansas, Northern Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska. The company hadn’t received any reports of illness as of Wednesday morning, but it advised anyone who bought the product to return it to their place of purchase for a full refund or replacement.

The recalled Ava’s Brand cashews were sold in 8-ounce tubs and distributed in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, according to the FDA. Their UPC code is 8-10111-01035-1, and they have a best-by date of April 28, 2018 and were sold in lot No. 11817-L2.

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Ava’s also hadn’t received any illness reports as of Wednesday morning, according to the FDA. Food inspectors traced the contamination to manufacturing equipment used on one of the product’s ingredients, the company said, and although test results indicated the cashews were not exposed to Listeria monocytogenes, Ava’s recalled the products out of an abundance of caution.

Customers who purchased the affected Ava’s product can also return it to their place of purchase for a full refund.