Albertsons Is Pulling These Popular Products From Shelves in 25 States
The company announced a voluntary recall on July 19.
As the second-largest supermarket chain in the U.S.—just behind Kroger—Albertsons is the preferred grocery store for many of us. If you do your weekly shopping at your local Albertsons, you've become accustomed to what you might find there, which is why one significant removal might catch you off-guard. Albertsons is pulling some popular store-brand items from shelves in conjunction with a new recall announcement. Read on to find out what you won't be able to get at supermarkets in 25 states.
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There have been a number of recent food recalls.
Food products are often recalled due to safety concerns, with announcements issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) if foods are contaminated or if there have been reports of foodborne illness. Just this summer, several different items have been pulled from shelves, ranging from fresh organic strawberries to baked snack products.
This month, the FDA released safety alerts pertaining to two ice cream brands. The first brand, Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota, Florida, recalled all flavors and lots of its ice cream products due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious or fatal infections. And Belfonte Dairy of Kansas City, Missouri, issued a voluntary recall of 1.5-quart packages of its "Chocolate to Die For" Premium Ice Cream due to the presence of undeclared peanuts, a common allergen.
Now, more products have been recalled as a result of their ingredient list, the FDA warns. And they're items you'd only find at Albertsons.
You won't be able to buy these in the ready-to-eat section at Albertsons.
On July 19, the FDA announced that Albertsons Companies had voluntarily recalled three of its ReadyMeals seafood items that were prepared in stores. The recall includes 12-ounce packages of ReadyMeals Shrimp Cooked with Cocktail Sauce, ReadyMeals Snow Crab Legs Imitation Surimi, and ReadyMeals Crab & Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce.
All three items came in clear plastic containers with four compartments, according to the recall announcement, and had sell-by dates through July 18.
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Meals were sold under different "store banners" across 25 states.
Recalled ReadyMeals items were sold at Albertsons Cos. subsidiaries, referred to as "store banners" in the recall announcement. You may have purchased these products at ACME, Albertsons, Andronico's Community Markets, Balducci's, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, JewelOsco, King's, Pak 'N Save, Safeway, Shaw's, Star Market, and Vons.
You'll want double-check your fridge if you live in one of the 25 states where these ready-to-eat seafood products were sold: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming, as well as Washington, D.C.
Products were recalled thanks to undeclared allergens.
The FDA warned that each of these seafood products failed to list certain allergens on their ingredient labels. This was discovered "after an internal technical review," the announcement said.
The shrimp cooked with cocktail sauce did not list crustacean (shrimp) or fish (anchovy) on its label, while the snow crab legs imitation surimi product didn't list crustacean (crab), egg, fish (pollock, whiting, anchovy), and wheat. The crab and shrimp with cocktail sauce didn't list crustacean (shrimp/crab), egg, fish (pollock, whiting, anchovy), wheat, and soy.
"Consumers who have certain food allergies or severe sensitivities run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products and are urged not to consume these items," the recall notice stated.
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If you have allergies and bought these products, throw them out.
Per the recall announcement, if you are allergic or have a sensitivity to any of these ingredients, you should not eat these ReadyMeal products. The FDA asks that you either throw them away or return them to your local store, where you will be entitled to a full refund.
The agency has not received any reports of injuries or adverse reactions tied back to these products, but if you have concerns about your health, you should reach out to your doctor. For additional questions about the recall, you can reach out to Albertsons Cos. Customer Service Center at 877-723-3929, Monday through Friday, between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST).
