Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Dole Food Company, Inc., is voluntarily recalling all salad bearing the label Dole Hearts Delight sold in the U.S. and Canada because it may be tainted with E. coli bacteria.
The company says the product bears a best if used by (BIUB) date of September 19, 2007, and a production code of "A24924A" or "A24924B" stamped on the package.
To date, Dole has received no reports that anyone has become sick from eating these products. The recall is occurring because a sample in a grocery store in Canada was found through random screening to contain E. coli O157:H7. No other Dole salad products are involved.
Eric Schwartz, President, Dole Fresh Vegetables, stated: "Our overriding concern is for consumer safety. We are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and several U.S. state health departments."
Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 exposure could include stomach cramps and diarrhea. Bloody diarrhea may develop. E. coli disease sometimes leads to a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Consumers who may still have any of the Dole Hearts Delight salads with a "best if used by date" of September 19 and a production code of "A24924A" or "A24924B" should dispose of the product.
This product was sold in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada and in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and neighboring states in the U.S.
Consumers can call the Dole Consumer Center toll-free at 800-356-3111. Consumers are reminded that products should not be consumed after the "best if used by" date.
It was almost exactly a year ago that fresh spinach triggered a nationwide E. coli outbreak. That outbreak was eventually traced to manure used to grow organic vegetables.
