Avocado Recalled In 6 States Over Miscarriage-Linked Bacteria

A large avocado producer has voluntarily recalled its products distributed in Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin after “an abundance of caution” due to a reported contamination.



The Henry Avocado Corporation has suspended the delivery of its California-grown conventional and organic avocados to retail stores across the U.S. because of the possible presence of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria has been known to cause problems during pregnancy, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and a life-threatening infection in babies, CNN reported Monday.

The bacteria may also cause weakened immune systems in individuals, particularly in the elderly. The infection symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion and loss of balance. In some cases, patients may also experience diarrhea.

"Henry Avocado is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution due to positive test results on environmental samples taken during a routine government inspection at its California packing facility," the company said in a statement.

Henry Avocado said the contamination most likely occurred after it moved to its new facility in California in late January. The company will recall every product packed at the facility.

So far, the company did not receive any report on illnesses associated with the possibly contaminated avocados. But Henry Avocado is encouraging retail customers to pull the fruits out from their shelves.

The recalled products have stickers stating "Bravocado” and "California." Henry Avocado also noted retailers must remove products labeled as “organic" to avoid listeria infection.

Consumers can also return the products to stores for refunds, the company said. Henry Avocado added it is working with federal and California health officials to complete the recall of the avocados and to address the contamination.

"We are voluntarily recalling our products and taking every action possible to ensure the safety of consumers who eat our avocados," Phil Henry, president of Henry Avocado, said in a statement.

But Henry Avocado noted the company’s fruits that were packed and delivered from Mexico are safe for consumption and are not subject to the recall. The company said distribution of the products will continue across the U.S.

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