Sabra Dipping Co recalls 30,000 cases of hummus over Listeria fears

[April 09, 2015]  (Reuters) - Sabra Dipping Company voluntarily recalled 30,000 cases of its classic hummus nationwide over possible Listeria contamination, federal health officials and the company said on Wednesday.

The recall follows warnings from U.S. health officials over the weekend against eating any products from a Blue Bell Creameries' Oklahoma ice cream plant, which has temporarily closed because of possible Listeria contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that a routine sample of Sabra hummus collected from a store last month tested positive for the Listeria monocytogenes. It added that there was no evidence the hummus caused anyone to become ill.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria. It primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and those with compromised immune systems and can lead to death.

Earlier this month, Kansas health officials said three people died between January 2014 and January 2015 after being sickened by Listeriosis at a hospital where Blue Bell products were served. They were in the hospital for other reasons.

Blue ​Bell said in a statement on Tuesday that no illnesses linked to its products had been confirmed.

The U.S. CDC said in a statement on Wednesday the in-hospital infections were "likely linked" to its products.

The CDC said a total of five patients were sickened in Kansas and three other patients were sickened in Texas.

Blue Bell said its voluntary recalls were the first in the company's more than 100-year history.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Kim Coghill and Jane Merriman)
 

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