Frozen asparagus that went to 34 states and Puerto Rico recalled on listeria concerns

Pictsweet announced Tuesday it’s recalling 1,872 cases of its Pictsweet Farms Steam’ables Asparagus Spears because there might be listeria in the frozen vegetable product.

The company-written, FDA-posted recall notice said Pictsweet made the recall “after it was notified by the manufacturer that product suspected of containing Listeria monocytogenes was inadvertently shipped to The Pictsweet Company.”

And that product was shipped to Puerto Rico and 35 states: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

On the back panel of each 8-ounce recalled bag, down near the UPC bars in the lower right corner, there will be the production code “2138XD” and “BEST BY AUG 1, 2020.” Either throw the bags of asparagus spears out or take them back to the store for a full refund.

Anyone with questions can call Pictsweet at 1-800-527-0986 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Listeria causes listeriosis, which hits 1,600 people in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. About 260 of those people die, most of whom are children under 5 or the elderly. In pregnant women, listeria also can cause miscarriages or stillbirths. Normally, it brings spiking fever, nausea, diarrhea, muscle stiffness and stomachaches.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 8:37 AM.