If You Bought This at Walmart, Throw It Away Now

As coronavirus cases continue to surge across the U.S., Americans are stocking up on groceries again, and if you did your big shop this weekend at Walmart and bought one item in particular, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says you have to get rid of it, or risk serious sickness. A recall was issued after a batch of lettuce sold through Walmart tested positive for E. coli. Read on to make sure your next salad is safe to eat, and for another food recall that should be on your radar, check out If You Have This Milk in Your Fridge, You Should Get Rid of It Now.

The recall notice applies to Tanimura & Antle bagged single head romaine lettuce, and the E. coli was originally discovered during tests in the state of Michigan, and traced to a Walmart in Comstock. The strain of E. coli found was 0157:H7, one of the most likely strains of the bacteria to produce haemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS, a kind of kidney failure that can make E. coli fatal.

According to the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 to 10 percent of patients with this strain of E. coli go on to develop HUS. The tell-tale symptoms are a decreased frequency of urination, extreme lethargy, and a loss of color in the cheeks and lower eyelids. Young children and the elderly are most likely to develop HUS, with long-term effects potentially being serious kidney damage and even death. The FDA advises, "If consumers are experiencing any of the above symptoms, please contact your physician."

Walmart posted a list of all stores that had sold the lettuce, spanning 19 states and Puerto Rico. It is believed that the recall applies to 3,396 packs of lettuce, packaged on Oct. 15 or Oct. 16. Retailers and distributors can identify the potentially affected products through the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) sticker attached to exterior of the case. The codes of the affected bags of lettuce are 571280289SRS1 and 571280290SRS1.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Consumers are advised to return the lettuce to the point of purchase for a full refund, or throw it away immediately. For a full list of states where the contaminated product was sold and contact details, visit the FDA's website. Read on for other items you may have at home that have been recalled recently, and for another kind of product that's proven hazardous, check out Target Just Recalled 122,500 Pairs of Shoes For This Scary Reason.

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In late October, Trader Joe's recalled its gluten free battered halibut, because it contains undeclared wheat and milk allergens. People who bought the fish presumably sought out a product without gluten, and could potentially have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat and milk. So, consuming the so-called "gluten free" fish now runs them the risk of a serious or even life-threatening allergic reaction. "If you purchased any of the Gluten Free Battered Halibut … and have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat and/or milk, please do not eat it," Trader Joe's posted on its website on Oct. 23. "We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe's for a full refund." Luckily, no illnesses had been reported at the time of the recall. And for other products putting you at risk, know that If You Have These Popular Pieces of Furniture at Home, Get Rid of Them.

Another health risk that could be hiding in your kitchen could be sitting on your spice rack. In mid-October, the FDA announced that The Spice Hunter was recalling 29 of its spices and spice blends, due to the potential presence of salmonella. The recall includes the company's black pepper, cayenne, paprika, roasted garlic, cinnamon, parsley, and everything bagel spice. Fortunately, at the time the recall was issued, there were no illnesses reported. And for another item you're cooking with that could cause you to fall ill, check out This Surprising Staple in Your Kitchen Could Be Toxic, Research Shows.

The food you feed yourself and your family is not the only kind at risk. Also in October, 25 types of Sunshine Mills dog food were recalled: one of which was potentially contaminated with salmonella, while the other 24 had potential contamination from aflatoxin, a mold byproduct. Thankfully, at the time of the recall, no illnesses had been reported in association with the dog food. But this wasn't the first time Sunshine Mills came under fire. A month prior, three of its dog food brands were also recalled for unhealthy levels of aflatoxin. And for more important safety information delivered to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

At the end of October, Sunstar Americas, Inc. (SAI) voluntarily recalled its Paroex Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse USP mouthwash, due to potential contamination with the bacteria Burkholderia lata. Anyone who is "in possession of these products should stop using and dispensing immediately," the FDA says. Though no "adverse events" had been reported at the time of the recall, the FDA noted that "in the most at-risk populations, the use of the defective product may result in life-threatening infections, such as pneumonia and bacteremia." The full serial numbers of the affected batches of the mouthwash are available at the SAI site, but if you're looking at your bottle and see an expiration date from June 30, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2022, don't rinse your mouth with it. And for a very different kind of hazard, find out why This Common Household Item Has Been Recalled Over Fire Risk.