Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s among brands hit by corn recall

Possibly contaminated corn is behind a slew of recalls involving prepared salads sold by major retailers including Walmart, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

GHSE, a Green Cove Springs, Florida company, is recalling 738 pounds of ready-to-eat salads that contain corn that may be contaminated with salmonella and listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said late Wednesday.

No illnesses have been reported related to the recalled corn, according to federal officials.

Walmart brand Marketside’s “Fiesta Salad with Steak” comes in 15.25-ounce plastic clamshells with use-by-dates of Oct. 17 through Oct. 20, and were shipped to retail locations in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The salad labels have the establishment number “EST. 45781” printed inside the USDA inspection mark.

The problem was discovered Monday when GHSE was notified that the corn was being recalled by their supplier due to contamination concerns, the food agency said.

On the same day, GH Foods of Sacramento, California, recalled approximately 940 pounds of ready-to-eat salad sold at Whole Foods, also due to possibly contaminated corn, the FSIS said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths in the U.S. each year, with food the source of an overwhelming majority of the cases. The bacteria causes abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after infection, and usually last four to seven days. Children under five are at the highest risk of infection, with older adults and those with weakened immune systems also vulnerable to severe infections.

An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC.

A separate but similar recall for about 916 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken wrap and salad products containing possibly tainted corn was issued by Mary’s Harvest Fresh Foods, Portland, Oregon, for products sold under its own brand as well as Trader Jose, Trader Joe’s house brand for Mexican food.

On its website, Trader Joe’s posted a recall for the Trader Jose’s salad and two of its house brand salads.

Another corn-related action this week involves Texas-based Prime Deli Corp. recalling approximately 217 pounds of ready-to-eat salad with bacon products sold at 7-Eleven outlets in Texas, the FSIS said.

A further recall was issued Tuesday by Schnuck Markets, a regional grocery chain based in St. Louis, Missouri, is recalling chicken salad sold at 32 stores under its own brand, saying the product contains possibly contaminated corn.

None of the companies involved in the recall identified the corn supplier, and the FSIS did not return a request for comment.