Nearly 56,000 pounds of frozen blueberries shipped to four U.S. states and Canada are being recalled because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause severe and sometimes life-threatening illness, especially in vulnerable people.
Oregon Potato Company LLC, doing business as Willamette Valley Fruit Company in Salem, Oregon, has voluntarily recalled about 55,689 pounds of individually quick frozen, or IQF, blueberries, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s enforcement report.
The recall was initiated Feb. 12 and later classified as a Class I event on Feb. 24, meaning there is a reasonable probability that eating the product could cause serious health problems or death.
The frozen fruit was distributed in Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as in Canada, but was not sold directly to consumers in retail stores. Instead, the product was shipped in bulk to customers as 30‑pound corrugated cases and 1,400‑pound industrial totes, each lined with polyethylene packaging.