David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC Voluntarily Recalls Organic Green Kiwifruit Due to Possible Health Risk - 8/9/23
Company Announcement Date:
August 08, 2023
FDA Publish Date:
August 08, 2023
Product Type:
Food & Beverages
Fruit/Fruit Product
Foodborne Illness
Reason for Announcement:
Possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination
Company Name:
David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC
Brand Name:
Zespri
Product Description:
Organic green kiwifruit
August 8, 2023 / SEATTLE, WA – >David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC is voluntarily recalling from the market all one-pound clamshells of organic green kiwifruit described below because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The recalled organic green kiwifruit is grown in New Zealand, exported to North America and repacked locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells bearing the Zespri brand and UPC code 8 18849 02009 3, containing fruit stickered with the GTIN bar code 9400 9552.
The organic green kiwifruit subject to the voluntary recall was shipped between June 14, 2023 and July 7, 2023, and sold in clamshells at retail locations in FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA, and WI. Zespri organic green kiwifruit sold in other states is NOT subject to this recall.
Zespri organic green kiwifruit shipped after August 7, 2023 in one-pound plastic clamshells with a WHITE STICKER that includes Work Order (WO) number and Packed on date is NOT affected by this recall. See example of white sticker below:
The recall was the result of a routine sampling by the Kentucky Department for Public Health on July 7, 2023. Since being notified on August 3, David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC has worked with Zespri to trace the product through the supply chain to two grower lots, and immediately ceased the distribution of organic green kiwifruit from the related grower lots as it continues its investigation in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
No illnesses have been reported to date. No other David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC products are part of this voluntary recall.
Consumers who still have any of these products are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately. Consumers with questions may contact David Oppenheimer and Company I, LLC (Oppy) at 1-866-698-2580, Monday-Friday, 9am-4:30pm PDT, or send an email to contact@oppy.com.
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* We believe that none of the product being recalled were processed or offered through the national office
* We strongly encourage you to notify your agencies within one business day from receipt of this notice.
* ALL cased and uncased inventories, both at the member level and agency level, need to be checked. This product may have entered member and agency warehouses through salvage, local donations, TEFAP, local purchases, retail pickups, food drives, or other avenues.
* For additional local details, please contact the Health Department(s) for the area(s) your food bank serves.
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About Feeding America Recall Notices
The Feeding America national office issues notifications of all national Class I and II recalls–those involving a health hazard situation in which there is reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death–and other recalls that may affect the safety of food supplied to network members.
The national office strongly encourages all member product solicitors, operations managers, and others involved in food and grocery distribution to regularly consult resources provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp. Additionally, members can often receive information on national, state, and local recalls by contacting their local health departments.
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