Hummus and walnut products sold at major retailers were recalled by two United States companies due to a possible listeria contamination.
This recall was issued only two weeks after Wal-Mart settled a lawsuit with the families of 23 people who died from listeria infections after consuming cantaloup sold at the retailer in 2011, Reuters reported.
St. Louis-based Sherman Produce Co., located in St. Louis, will recall 241 cases of walnuts after a routine FDA testing revealed traces of Listeria.
Massachusetts's Lansal Inc, (Hot Mamma Foods) is voluntarily pulling hummus products that were sold at retailers such as Target and Trader Joe's.
The company recalled 14,860 pounds of hummus after one 10-ounce container of Target Archer Farms Traditional Hummus was found to contain traces of listeria.
Other affected products include "Target Archer Farms roasted red pepper with roasted red pepper topping, Giant Eagle chipotle hummus, Trader Joe's 5 layered dip and Tryst yellow lentil hummus with sunflower seeds & apricots," CBS News reported.
No illness from these contaminated products have been reported.
Purchasers of the products are urged to "dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund," Reuters reported.
Listeria is contracted when food containing the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes is consumed. It tends to affect older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
Most people infected with listeria will experience "headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches," the CDC reported. Listeria infections during pregnancy can lead to consequences such as "miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn," the CDC reported.
Listeria is generally treated with antibiotics, but the condition can still result in death even in these cases.