Don't Eat Any Foods Made by This Company Right Now, FDA Warns
The authority recommends throwing away any products they make immediately.
Companies recall individual products all the time, whether they've made a labeling error on a particular item's packaging or the product in question is determined to be a safety risk to customers. What's less common, however, is a health authority recommending that customers refrain from buying or consuming any of a company's wares. Unfortunately, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is now telling both consumers and retailers not to consume or sell any products from one particular food company due to the serious health risks these foods present. Read on to find out which company's products you should be getting rid of now.
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The FDA is cautioning against eating any food from Felix Custom Smoking.
On Aug. 27, the FDA issued a public health alert for foods from seafood processor Felix Custom Smoking, recommending that consumers do not eat any products made by the Monroe, Washington-based company.
The FDA also recommends that retailers and those engaged in commercial fishing cease selling or otherwise distributing Felix products.
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The company's products may be contaminated with harmful bacteria.
The public health alert was triggered after a July inspection of the Felix facility revealed that some of the company's products were contaminated with Listeria bacteria.
In total, 19 out of 104 samples collected tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, with five of those samples coming from surfaces in the facility. An additional four samples from the facility tested positive for other strains of Listeria.
Listeria can cause severe illness or death.
While many people develop relatively mild symptoms after consuming products contaminated with Listeria, others are not so lucky.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeriosis—the infection caused by Listeria—can result in fever and diarrhea in otherwise healthy individuals, but older adults and immunocompromised individuals are more likely to experience worse outcomes. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature delivery in pregnant individuals and potentially fatal infections in newborns. Approximately 16 percent of people diagnosed with listeriosis will die from the condition, according to the CDC.
If you have eaten any foods made by Felix and are experiencing symptoms of illness, contact a healthcare provider immediately.
The company has not yet issued a recall.
Despite the FDA's warnings, Felix has chosen not to recall its products, nor has the company ceased production of its foods.
However, companies that use Felix products have already started to pull their foods from the market. Loki Fish Company, which sells products processed by Felix, announced the recall of its 4-oz. packages of Keta Salmon Lox on Aug. 23 due to potential Listeria contamination.
If you have Felix products at home, throw them away.
If you purchased any products from Felix, the FDA recommends that you throw them away.
Additionally, to reduce the likelihood of illness from cross-contamination, the authority recommends that customers wash any items or surfaces that may have come into contact with the contaminated products and subsequently sanitize them with a combination of one gallon of hot water and one tablespoon bleach, then thoroughly dry them with a clean cloth or unused paper towel. Both before and sanitizing surfaces, the FDA recommends washing your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
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