Costco issues THIRD urgent recall in two days over fears popular seafood item tainted with listeria

Costco’s seafood supplier has recalled thousands of packages of smoked salmon over fears of listeria contamination, its third recall in days.

The bulk retailer said packages of Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon sold between Oct. 9 and 13 were affected and had to be returned for a refund.

Potentially contaminated items have lot number 8512801270 printed in the upper right corner of the package and should not be eaten, Costco wrote in a letter.

Acme Smoked Fish Corp, which supplies Costco with smoked salmon, initiated the recall after identifying potential listeria contamination.

The recall of the products was not indicative of a confirmed outbreak of listeria, and no illnesses were reported associated with the affected fish.

Costco recalled many other products days earlier after being caught up in two other listeria contamination scares from major suppliers that affected major supermarkets.

This included Nutristore Freeze Dried Deluxe Meat and other prepared chicken products made by BrucePac, which recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of meat, and 24 packages of Krusteaz Belgian Waffles made by TreeHouse Foods.

Listeria is a deadly bacteria that causes the third most deaths from food-related illnesses in the U.S., behind salmonella and toxoplasma gondii.

About 1,600 people become infected and 260 die each year, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Food processing facilities are one of the places where the bacteria can spread and contaminate food, the CDC said.

Eating foods containing listeria monocytogenes can cause a person to develop a listeriosis infection, which is extremely dangerous for older adults, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns.

Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions – and can lead to death.

All of these symptoms can occur after diarrhea or other digestive problems.

Pregnant women may experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or premature births of their infants if they are infected with listeria.

Costco’s three recalls were the latest in a series of outbreaks, scares and recalls in the U.S. this year.

Dakota Tom’s Sandwiches this week recalled burgers sold at stores and truck stops in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wyoming, including for listeria.

The burgers feature BrucePac ingredients, including the group’s Pepper Jack and Bacon cheeseburgers, and a ground round known as the Gambler.

BrucePac earlier this month recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of meat produced between June 19, 2024 and October 8, 2024.

That recall had a major impact on its customers in the US, including Dakota Tom.

Also this month, 1,271 cases of green onions were voluntarily recalled Church Brothers LLC on October 18.

This followed the discovery of a single product sample collected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that “indicated the presence of Salmonella.”

The recalled products were distributed to a small number of stores in Canada and the U.S. in eleven states, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.

Products in stores, including popular neighborhood grocer Trader Joe’s, are being recalled because of the possible contamination.

Several types of frozen waffles — including Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather — made by TreeHouse Foods were recalled the same week due to possible listeria contamination.

They were also sold at Dollar General, Aldi’s, Food Lion, Tops, Hannaford, HEB, PriceChopper, Publix, Schnucks, Southeastern Grocers and Harris Teeter.

In September, 65 people became ill and 24 of them were hospitalized with listeria after eating eggs sold at Milo’s Poultry Farms and Tony’s Fresh Market.

The outbreak originated at Milo’s Poultry Farms in Bonduel, Wisconsin, where they discovered the responsible strain in a chicken egg-laying shed and packaging facility.

Wiers Farm voluntarily recalled some of its whole and bagged salad cucumbers sold at Walmart in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio in July after fears they were contaminated with listeria.

Previously, at least one person was killed and 22 hospitalized among 75 reported cases of E. coli in McDonald’s quarter pounder burgers in 13 states.

Dessert manufacturer Totally Cool recalled products from more than a dozen brands and 70 different products in June after the FDA revealed they may have been contaminated with listeria.

The affected treats included Friendly’s ice cream cakes, Hershey’s ice cream cones and Jeni’s sandwiches.

Hormel Foods Sales issued a recall for 4-ounce cans of Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts and 8.75-ounce cans of Planters Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts in five states in May.

The at-risk products were distributed to Publix warehouses in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, as well as Dollar Tree warehouses in South Carolina and Georgia.

The largest outbreak of foodborne pathogens occurred at meats giant Boar’s Head, when listeria contamination at its Virginia plant killed 10 people and hospitalized 59 people in 19 states in July.

Listeria found its way into 7.2 million pounds of liverwurst and other meat, leading Boar’s Head to dump liverwurst forever and close the plant.

So far this year, 1,905 food and cosmetic products have been recalled, up from 1,563 in 2023, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

However, in 2014 there were 2,549 recalls, and before the Covid pandemic, recalls were generally more common.

‘There may be a perception that the number of recalls has increased, especially if one recall includes a large number of affected products, but the number of food-related recalls [in 2024] generally consistent with recent years,” the FDA said.

Experts said more recalls were actually a sign of better testing for contamination by food companies over the past two decades.