Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s Cilantro Lime Crema, Everything Sauce Fiesta recall: Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination

Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s Sauces & dips — recalled sauces & dipsDon Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s Sauces & dips — recalled sauces & dips (photo 2)Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s Sauces & dips — recalled sauces & dips (photo 3)Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s Sauces & dips — recalled sauces & dips (photo 4)
4 photos published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Listeria contamination

Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

What the notice says: Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Why it matters: Listeria monocytogenes is unusual among foodborne bacteria because it keeps growing at refrigerator temperature. A contaminated pack does not become safer for sitting in the cold, and it will look, smell and taste completely normal.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

Listeriosis is mild or silent in most healthy adults, but it is serious for pregnant people, newborns, adults over 65 and anyone whose immune system is suppressed. The CDC describes intestinal illness as diarrhoea and vomiting, and invasive illness as fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. In pregnancy it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infection in the newborn even when the parent feels only mildly unwell. Symptoms can start within a day or not appear for weeks, so tell any doctor you see that you ate a recalled product and give them the date.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
February 7, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s
Product type
Sauces & dips
Distribution
California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington
Sold at
Costco, H-E-B

Products covered by this recall

Cilantro Lime Crema, Everything Sauce Fiesta, Cilantro Cotija dressing, Poblano Caesar dressing, Cilantro Dressing, Street Taco Express Meal Kit

What the company announced

Fresh Creative Foods, a division of Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc., is voluntarily recalling certain cremas, everything sauces, cilantro cotija dressing, poblano Caesar dressing, cilantro dressing and one taco kit due to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese ingredient supplied by RIZO-LÓPEZ FOODS, INC.

The dressings and kits were distributed to retail outlets including Costco, H-E-B, Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s in the following states: CA, CT, FL, ID, IL, MD, MT, NJ, NV, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, VA, and WA.

The dressings are sold in bottles; the taco kit is sold in a clear clamshell container with a printed carboard band.

No consumer complaints have been reported to date.

Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Consumers are urged not to consume these products. Consumers who purchased these products may take them back to the store for a refund or discard them.

The list of products can be seen here .

FDA Outbreak Investigation

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

What to do about Listeria

Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s — Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

  1. Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.
  2. If anyone in the household is pregnant, over 65 or immunocompromised, call a clinician for advice even if nobody feels ill. That conversation is quick and it is the whole point of a Listeria recall.
  3. Photograph the label, the lot code and the date mark before the pack leaves the house — that picture is what a refund claim runs on.
  4. Throw it out in a sealed bag, or return it to the store. Either is accepted; what matters is that nobody else eats it.

How to get your money back

Food recalls carry a full refund, and in the United States you usually do not need the receipt or the packaging.

  • Take the product, or your photo of the label, to the customer service desk of the store where you bought it. Nearly every national grocer refunds recalled food on the spot.
  • Bought it online? Open the order in your account and use the refund option; marketplace sellers are required to honour a federal recall.
  • If the store refuses, contact the recalling company using the details on this page. The firm, not the shop, carries the cost of a recall.
  • If you have a loyalty card, the retailer can look the purchase up in your history — Kroger, Costco and Walmart all do this routinely.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who purchased these products may take them back to the store for a refund or discard them.

Company contact: Fresh Creative Foods — Media: Linda Reidman, 503-267-8373

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s sauces & dips recalled?

Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

The notice does not publish package codes for this recall. Compare the product name, size and the purchase window against the official FDA — Company recall announcements record, and contact the company if you are unsure.

What should I do with it right now?

Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers who purchased these products may take them back to the store for a refund or discard them.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and others.

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