Treehouse expands listeria recall to all frozen waffles and pancakes

Treehouse Foods expanded its recall of frozen waffles and pancakes, adding to a bad year for listeria recalls in food that arise from poor sanitation.

The recall adds to a bad year for listeria in food

Treehouse Foods expanded its listeria recall to include all frozen waffles and pancakes it made at a factory, the breakfast food maker said Tuesday.

The recall now covers 192 varietes of frozen waffle or pancakes that shipped to every U.S. state over fears they are contaminated with the infectious germ listeria, Treehouse and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

Albertson's, Aldi, Dollar General, Foodhold, HEB, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and other grocery stores sold the frozen waffles and pancakes, Treehouse said.

Treehouse said it expanded its recall, first announced on Oct. 18, after additional testing.

What to do

People who bought the waffles should dispose of them or return the recalled product to the place they bought it for credit.

Shoppers can check product code on the back of the carton to see if the frozen waffles or pancakes are part of the listeria recall.

What is listeria and how does it get in food?

Listeria monocytogenes is a germ that is more likely to sicken the elderly, newborns and pregnant women and people with weak immune systems, causing serious and even life-threatening infections.

Healthier individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as fever, headaches, nausea and abdominal pain.

An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis, which is treated with antibiotics, each year and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There haven't been any hospitalizations, deaths or reported health problems from Treehouse's recall.

The recall adds to a bad year for listeria in food, which typically arises from poor sanitation.

In October, BrucePac recalled nearly 11.8 million pounds of meat and poultry after U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors detected listeria.

In July, Boar's Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat because of listeria contamination, which caused dozens of hospitalizations and the deaths of at least nine people.

Inspectors found wet ceilings, mold, mildew and vermin at Boar's Head's meat factories.