Avocado recall: Listeria concerns force California company to pull produce from six states

Produce distributed to Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and North Carolina

(AFP/Getty Images)

A company in California has announced a precautionary recall of avocados after Listeria monocytogenes was discovered in environmental samples taken during a government inspection.

The Henry Avocado Corporation announced the voluntary recall in a news release, noting no illnesses had been reported in association with the avocados.

“We are voluntarily recalling our products and taking every action possible to sure the safety of consumers who eat our avocados,” Phil Henry, the company’s president, said in the statement.

The avocados being recalled were distributed from the California packing centre to a handful of states, including Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Concerned consumers can identify the potentially contaminated products by the “Bravocado” stickers put on the organic produce. The stickers also indicate they come from the state of California.

Listeria symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, severe headaches, fevers, and stiffness. The infections can sometimes be fatal among those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and children.

The Centre for Disease Control suggests anyone with severe symptoms should seek medical treatment

Henry Avocado Corporation noted avocados from Mexico sold by the company are not subject to the recall.

Anyone who believes they have purchased recalled avocados has been urged to throw the produce away, or to bring the avocados back to the store where they were purchased for a refund.