Listeria causes store-brand fruit recall at Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, Aldi, others

David J. Neal
·4 min read
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Worries about listeria contamination caused the recall of 19 frozen fruit products sold under the generic store brands of Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and the group of independent grocers in Associated Wholesale Grocers.

This recall isn’t related to last week’s frozen fruit recall from Walmart, Costco and H-E-B stores by a different manufacturer.

READ MORE: Hepatitis A concerns cause frozen fruit recalls from Walmart, Costco and H-E-B stores

The FDA-posted recall notice written by Sunrise Growers, a subsidiary of SunOpta, blames the recall on “pineapple provided by a third-party supplier,” but not all the products have pineapple.

“The other products that were recalled and did not contain pineapple were manufactured on the production line after the potentially contaminated pineapple without a cleaning in between,” a SunOpta spokesperson emailed the Miami Herald. “Out of an abundance of caution, we included this sequenced product in the recall.”

Here’s what’s recalled. For exact lot numbers, check the recall notice.

What’s recalled from Walmart?

▪ Great Value Mixed Fruit in 16-ounce bags.

Great Value Mixed Fruit
Great Value Mixed Fruit

▪ Great Value Dark Sweet Cherries in 16-ounce bags.

Great Value Dark Sweet Cherries
Great Value Dark Sweet Cherries

▪ Great Value Mango Chunks in 16-ounce bags.

These were sold from Jan. 19 through June 13 at stores in California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

As is Walmart’s custom, a list of each store involved has been posted.

What’s recalled from Whole Foods?

▪ 365 Organic Tropical Fruit Medley in 32-ounce bags.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Tropical Fruit Medley
Whole Foods 365 Organic Tropical Fruit Medley

▪ 365 Organic Pineapple Chunks in 10-ounce bags.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Pineapple Chunks
Whole Foods 365 Organic Pineapple Chunks

▪ 365 Pineapple Chunks in 16-ounce bags.

▪ 365 Organic Whole Strawberries in 32-ounce bags.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Whole Strawberries
Whole Foods 365 Organic Whole Strawberries

▪ 365 Organic Sliced Strawberries and Bananas in 32-ounce bags.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Sliced Strawberries and Bananas
Whole Foods 365 Organic Sliced Strawberries and Bananas

▪ 365 Organic Blackberries in 10-ounce bags.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Blackberries
Whole Foods 365 Organic Blackberries

These were sold to some stores throughout the nation from Nov. 1 through Wednesday.

What’s recalled from Target?

▪ Good & Gather Organic Cherries and Berries Fruit Blend in 32-ounce bags.

Good & Gather Organic Cherries & Berries Fruit Blend
Good & Gather Organic Cherries & Berries Fruit Blend

▪ Good & Gather Dark Sweet Whole Pitted Cherries in 12-ounce bags.

▪ Good & Gather Mango Strawberry Blend in 48-ounce bags.

▪ Good & Gather Mixed Fruit Blend in 48-ounce bags.

Good & Gather Mixed Fruit Blend, sold only at Target stores and Target online.
Good & Gather Mixed Fruit Blend, sold only at Target stores and Target online.

▪ Good & Gather Mango Chunks in 12-ounce bags.

▪ Good & Gather Blueberries in 48-ounce bags.

▪ Good & Gather Triple Berry Blend in 48-ounce bags.

These went to stores nationwide from Oct. 14 through May 22.

What’s recalled from Trader Joe’s?

Trader Joe’s Organic Tropical Fruit Blend in 16-ounce bags.

Trader Joe’s Organic Tropical Fruit Blend
Trader Joe’s Organic Tropical Fruit Blend

These 2,588 cases of bags went to distributors and stores in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Alaska, Alabama, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., from March 28 through April 11.

What’s recalled from Aldi?

Season’s Choice Tropical Blend and Mixed Fruit in 32-ounce bags.

Season’s Choice Tropical Blend and Mixed Fruit
Season’s Choice Tropical Blend and Mixed Fruit

The 38,909 cases of this fruit product went to Florida, Texas, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia from Oct. 11 through May 22.

What’s recalled from Associated Wholesale Grocers stores?

Best Choice Pitted Red Tart Cherries Unsweetened in 12-ounce cases.

Best Choice Pitted Red Tart Cherries Unsweetened
Best Choice Pitted Red Tart Cherries Unsweetened

These went to distribution centers or stores in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma from April 5 to May 4.

What is listeria?

Listeria kills about 260 of the 1,600 Americans infected each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Senior citizens, pregnant women and children under 5 are the most vulnerable to listeria’s worse effects. Listeria can cause stillbirths and miscarriage. Listeria symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, high fever, severe headaches, stomachaches, stiffness, confusion and poor balance.

What you should do now

If you have anything that’s been recalled, return it to the store for a refund. Or, at least, throw it in the garbage and make sure no animals can get to it.

If you have questions, email recall@sunrisegrowers.com or call 888-490-5591, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time.