Because of the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a sample, David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC is recalling all one-pound clamshells of organic green kiwifruit under the Zespri brand.
The GTIN bar code for the recalled organic green kiwifruit is 9400 9552, and it was produced in New Zealand, exported to North America, and then repackaged locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells with the Zespri brand and UPC code 8 18849 02009 3.
Prevent distributing organic green kiwifruit
A routine sampling conducted on July 7, 2023 by the Kentucky Department of Public Health led to the recall. Since receiving notice on August 3, David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC has worked with Zespri to track the product through the supply chain to two grower lots. The company then immediately stopped distributing organic green kiwifruit from the related grower lots while it conducts its investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
To date, no illnesses have been reported. More than a dozen states are recalling green organic kiwifruit because listeria poisoning could be fatal.
Following routine testing by the Kentucky Department of Health, which discovered listeria monocytogenes in some of the fruit, David Oppenheimer & Company is voluntarily recalling some of its clamshell packaging of Zespri brand kiwi.
In a statement published on the Federal Drug Administration website on Tuesday, the business claimed to have located the problems in two grower lots in New Zealand. Listeria: What is it?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct an inquiry
The FDA states that listeria is an organism that can infect people with low immune systems, including children, the elderly, and others, and result in serious or deadly diseases. Short-term symptoms that might affect healthy people include high fever, excruciating headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. The infection can also result in stillbirths and miscarriages in pregnant women.
The recalled kiwi that was exported to North America was repackaged locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells with fruit stickers showing the GTIN bar number 9400 9552 and the Zespri brand. These containers also bore the UPC code 8 18849 02009 3 and the Zespri brand.
This recall does not apply to zespri kiwi which was shipped after August 7, 2023, in one-pound plastic clamshells with a white tag containing the work order number and the date it was packaged. A routine sampling conducted on July 7, 2023, by the Kentucky Department of Public Health led to the recall.
The company stopped selling fruit from the affected grower lots after being informed on August 3, and it said it was working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct an inquiry.
