FDA upgrades frozen blueberry recall to Class I after Listeria risk

The Food and Drug Administration upgraded a voluntary recall on Feb. 24 to a Class I recall for nearly 56,000 pounds of individually quick-frozen blueberries produced in Salem, Oregon after potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes was discovered. The Class I designation signals a reasonable probability that consumption of the product could cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

The recall affects individually quick-frozen blueberries packaged for retail and foodservice. Federal regulators said the company that produced the fruit initiated the recall and is responsible for notifying distributors and retailers to remove the affected product from shelves and supply chains. The FDA said it will oversee the company’s actions, including product removal and follow-up testing to confirm the scope of contamination and the effectiveness of corrective measures.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium known to survive and even grow at refrigeration temperatures, which makes it a particular concern in chilled and frozen foods. Infection can cause listeriosis, a severe illness characterized by fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms that can progress to bloodstream infections or meningitis. Pregnant women are at heightened risk; infection in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal infection. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are also more vulnerable.

Consumers who have purchased individually quick-frozen blueberries from a Salem, Oregon production source should not eat them and should discard or return the product to the place of purchase. The FDA recommends that vulnerable populations, including pregnant people, infants, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, avoid consuming possibly contaminated frozen berries until the product is confirmed safe. Retailers and foodservice operators holding affected inventory must quarantine and dispose of the product as directed by the recall notice and their suppliers.

The recall is likely to ripple through regional supply chains and retail inventories as distributors and stores remove frozen stock. Nearly 56,000 pounds of frozen fruit represent a sizable haul for a single production facility and will require logistics to trace and recover product distributed to multiple buyers. The financial hit to the producer will depend on insurance coverage and the extent of destruction or remediation required by regulators. The FDA’s Class I designation raises the stakes for swift corrective action and transparent communications to consumers and downstream buyers.

Regulators will be looking for the company to identify the contamination source, implement corrective sanitation and process controls, and demonstrate through testing that the facility is producing safe product before shipments resume. The episode underscores the vulnerability of frozen produce to bacterial contamination and the continuing regulatory focus on preventing serious foodborne illness. Consumers unsure whether their frozen blueberries are part of the recall should check packaging for production information and consult retailer recall notices or the FDA’s recall portal for details.