Thousands of dips recalled as FDA issues most severe risk warning
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated a recall of popular dips issued by Whole Foods earlier this month to its highest risk level, “Class I,” warning that consuming the items could cause “serious adverse health consequences or death.”
The now-upgraded recall involves products containing jalapeños sourced from Coast Citrus Distributors, a wholesale fresh produce supplier operating across the U.S. and Mexico, such as guacamole and pico de gallo, believed to be potentially contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
The Class I designation applies to several products including about 13,000 units of:
- Whole Foods Mild Guacamole Dip;
- Whole Foods Mild Guacamole Dip No Tomatoes;
- Whole Foods Roasted Corn Guacamole Dip;
- Whole Foods Pomegranate Guacamole Dip;
- Whole Foods Spicy Guacamole Dip;
- Whole Foods Trio Dip, containing Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Salsa.
After the first few cases of salmonella were reported across the country over the summer, federal investigators identified a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, as the potential source of contamination.
A Class I recall is “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the FDA.
“The only reason why we are issuing this recall is because the items include jalapeno peppers that were part of the Taylor Farms recall that issued over the weekend,” a spokesperson for Whole Foods said when the recall was first issued by the company, as reported by Reuters.
“Nothing matters more to us than our customers’ safety. We’ve pulled all recalled products from our shelves. Customers who purchased any of these products from us should throw them away and contact us for a refund,” Kristen Orsborn, Whole Foods Market spokesperson, previously told Newsweek.
This is a developing story; more to follow.
