Tennessee Food Maker Recalls Three Brands Of Hummus Nationwide Over Listeria Fears

KNOXVILLE — Three brands of hummus containing pine nut topping have been recalled throughout the U.S. over fears of potential Listeria contamination, federal regulators announced.

The hummus brands—including Walmart’s Marketside brand—are being recalled due to concerns of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes as the pine nuts were supplied by Hudson Valley Farms Inc., which detected the pathogen in its production facility, according to the recall notice.

House of Thaller, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based company, implemented the recall after Hudson Valley Farms officials alerted regulators to the issue at its production facility, according to the recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. The hummus products were distributed to Target and HEB stores, as well as other retailers.

The affected Marketside, Lantana and Fresh Foods Market brands of hummus were distributed to various grocery retailers from April to June, including Walmart and Giant Eagle, nationwide in the U.S., and on April 20 in Canada, according to the notice.

No reports of illnesses due to ingestion have been reported in connection to the recalled hummus products, or a variety of other products including granola, protein bars and trail mix with organic dates distributed by other companies who used foods sourced from Hudson Valley Farms (HVF), officials noted.

From the Food Poison Journal: "Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) is a foodborne disease-causing bacteria; the disease is called listeriosis. Listeria can invade the body through a normal and intact gastrointestinal tract. Once in the body, Listeria can travel through the blood stream but the bacteria are often found inside cells. Listeria also produces toxins that damage cells. Listeria invades and grows best in the central nervous system among immune compromised persons, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain infection). In pregnant women, the fetus can become infected, leading to spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, or sepsis (blood infection) in infancy."

An FDA spokesman told Food Safety News that Hudson Valley Farms has stopped operations and will not restart without prior notice to FDA: “The FDA is working with Hudson Valley Foods Inc. to facilitate their recall and remove potentially contaminated food from the marketplace. Additionally, the firm is working on corrective actions to remediate the situation and identify the source. We have no further information to share at this time,” the FDA spokesman told the newsletter.

Hudson Valley Farms Inc. supplied the roasted pine nuts used as garnish for selected varieties of hummus, according to the notice: “Routine sampling of a different item produced by the supplier for a different company revealed positive Listeria Monocytogenes findings. HVF Inc. is recalling all products made in their facility during the time of the potential contamination.”

The items subject to the recall, with accompanying label images, include:

Fresh Foods Market brand “Artisan Hummus with Pine Nuts” with the UPC number 72036027054 and any of the following best-by date and lot code combinations — 23 JUN 2017A W1704176; 07 JUL 2017A W1704383; 15 JUL 2017A W1705037; 20 JUL 2017A W1705122; 02 AUG 2017A W1705296; or 17 AUG 2017A W1706102.

Lantana brand “White Bean Hummus with Pine Nut & Herb Topping” with the UPC number 896863001434 and any of the following best-by date and lot code combinations — 19 JUN 2017A W1704129; 20 JUN 2017A W1704138; 22 JUN 2017A W1704161; 22 JUN 2017A W1704164; 22 JUN 2017A W1704165; 29 JUN 2017A W1704253; 29 JUN 2017A W1704254; 29 JUN 2017A W1704257; 30 JUN 2017A W1704274; 30 JUN 2017A W1704275; 04 JUL 2017A W1704346; 06 JUL 2017A W1704365; 06 JUL 2017A W1704366; 12 JUL 2017A W1704403; 12 JUL 2017A W1705004; 15 JUL 2017A W1705041; 15 JUL 2017A W1705044; 15 JUL 2017A W1705045; 18 JUL 2017A W1705088; 24 JUL 2017A W1705175; 24 JUL 2017A W1705176; 24 JUL 2017A W1705177; 26 JUL 2017A W1705199; 26 JUL 2017A W1705200; 27 JUL 2017A W1705201; 27 JUL 2017A W1705203; 27 JUL 2017A W1705207; 02 AUG 2017A W1705306; 02 AUG 2017A W1705307; 03 AUG 2017A W1705315; 03 AUG 2017A W1705316; 05 AUG 2017A W1705335; 05 AUG 2017A W1705336; 09 AUG 2017A W1705390; 10 AUG 2017A W1705401; 10 AUG 2017A W1705402; or 15 AUG 2017A W1706065.

Marketside brand “Classic Hummus with Pine Nuts” with the UPC number 681131138475 and any of the following best-by date and lot code combinations — 28 JUN 2017A W1704194; 19 JUN 2017A W1704066; or 19 JUN 2017A W1704065.

>>> Image of hummus labels via Food & Drug Administration