Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar Salad Bowl recall: Potential Foodborne Illness – Listeria monocytogenes

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Foodborne Illness – Listeria monocytogenes

The hazard: Listeria contamination

Because the organism here is Listeria, the recall is about where the food has been rather than how it looks today. Treat an affected pack as contaminated even if it is sealed and in date.

What the notice says: Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which 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
October 26, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Gourmet Cafe
Product type
Meat & poultry
Distribution
California, Louisiana, Texas, Washington
UPC codes
071279565620

Products covered by this recall

Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar Salad Bowl

What the company announced

Salinas, CA October 26, 2024

Fresh Express is voluntarily recalling a limited number of Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar Salad Bowls due to the inclusion of recalled chicken items from BrucePac, an outside ingredient supplier. The BrucePac recall is due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The fresh vegetable components are not impacted by this recall.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although 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.

The salad bowls were distributed in the following states: CA, LA, TX, WA.

Fresh Express is no longer using chicken ingredients from the ingredient supplier’s (BrucePac) impacted facility and we will not do so until the USDA has inspected and given its approval for the facility to operate.

Consumers who have purchased these salad bowls should not eat any part and should discard them instead. For more information or to obtain a refund consumers may contact the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472 during the hours of 8am to 7pm Eastern time. Refunds are also available where purchased.

Fresh Express Salad Bowls Containing BrucePac Chicken Items Recalled:

  • Name of Product: Fresh Express Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar · Ounces: 5.75 oz · UPC: 071279565620 · Package Code: S281 S282 S285 S288 · Use-By-Date: 10/26/2024 10/27/2024 10/30/2024 11/2/2024 · US Distribution States: CA, LA, TX, WA

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.

Check your product

The notice names 2 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

UPC / barcode

Read the twelve digits under the barcode on the package.

  • 071279565620

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 5.75 oz

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Listeria

Gourmet Cafe — Because the organism here is Listeria, the recall is about where the food has been rather than how it looks today. Treat an affected pack as contaminated even if it is sealed and in date.

  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.

Refunds, and what else you can claim

The purchase price is the floor, not the ceiling. Where a recall caused you a real cost, say so.

  • Claim the refund at the store first; it is the fastest route and needs the least paperwork.
  • If you bought several packs over time, list them. Firms routinely settle for more than a single unit when a customer asks.
  • Medical costs, lost earnings or a spoiled event are not handled at the service desk. Write to the company contact on this page instead, with dates and documents.
  • Keep copies of everything you send. If a recall caused harm, that file is what any later claim rests on.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who have purchased these salad bowls should not eat any part and should discard them instead.

Company contact: Fresh Express Incorporated — Consumers: Fresh Express Consumer Response Center, (800) 242-5472

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 Gourmet Cafe meat & poultry recalled?

Potential Foodborne Illness – Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which 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?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: UPC 071279565620. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

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 have purchased these salad bowls should not eat any part and should discard them instead.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists California, Louisiana, Texas, Washington.

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