Donuts Recalled Nationwide: What is Listeria and why is it so dangerous?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  reported on Wednesday that 60 different baked goods from FGF, LLC; which were distributed in grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, had a potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

From cake donut rings, raspberry-filled donuts, french crullers, Bavarian-filled donuts, and even some of the Dunkin’ Donut’s products; there has been a total of 2,0176,614 cases of the different baked goods recalled over a potential risk of contamination.

The voluntary recall from FGF, LLC begun on January 7th and affected all baked goods “within expiration produced 12/13/24 and prior”. However, this Wednesday, the FDA gave this situation a Class II category. This means, a “situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote”.

ALSO SEE: Walmart issues multiple food recalls—See the full list of affected items from the past month

People at risk

In The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, listeria is defined as a “bacteria that can contaminate many foods. Although symptoms can vary, a listeria infection can cause invasive illness and intestinal illness".

For most individuals, a listeria infection causes symptoms similar to food poisoning, including fever, muscle aches, and vomiting, which usually go away after a few days. But even if people infected with Listeria are rarely gravelly ill, according to the CDC, this infection is still the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., with approximately 1,600 infections and 260 deaths annually. 

That is why, there is a select group of people for whom this infection would be extremely dangerous, such as:

• Pregnant women
• Newborns
• Adults aged 65 or older
• People with weakened immune systems

ALSO SEE: FDA recalls massive frozen vegetables in 9 states due to potential health risks

What can we do?

According to the CDC, people at risk, and those who prepare food for them, should inform themselves about the products more likely to get contaminated. You can read the full list of FGF recalled Donuts here.