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Listeria Concerns Lead to Meatball, Cream Cheese Recalls

Both are considered "preemptive' in nature.

Panera

Vineland, NJ-based Rich Products Corporation is recalling approximately 3,420 pounds of beef meatballs due to concerns over Listeria monocytogenes. The meatballs were produced on December 17, 2017 and shipped to distributors in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The Food Safety and Inspection Service and RPC are concerned that some product may be in consumers' freezers.

Consumption of food contaminated with these pathogens can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and their newborns. Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Also involved in a recall due to listeria fears is Panera Bread. The restaurant chain announced that they are preemptively recalling all of the two-ounce and eight-ounce cream cheese products sold at its 2,000 U.S. locations. Although no illnesses have been reported, one of the samples did test positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

All of the varieties with an expiration date on or before April 2 have been included in the recall. For now, the recall affects Panera Bread locations in the U.S. only. Customers who purchased their cream cheese in Canada and elsewhere should not be effected.

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