More frozen waffles and pancakes recalled over possible listeria contamination

A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria, the manufacturer said Tuesday.

TreeHouse Foods Inc., of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson’s, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said.

No illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed.

The company is working with the U.S. and Canadian food safety regulators to resolve the problem. The recalled waffles are sold under a variety of names including Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather. A complete list of the affected products can be found on the TreeHouse website. Consumers should throw away the products or return them to stores for a refund.

TreeHouse officials issued a limited recall on Oct. 18 after routine testing found listeria at the Brantford, Ontario, factory. Additional testing indicated that more manufacturing lines at the plant could be contaminated with the bacteria, the company said. Production was halted and the company said it intends to restart production after taking steps that include “deep cleaning, sanitation, hygienic restoration” and other procedures.

The company operates 26 sites in the U.S. and Canada that make private brand foods and beverages, according to its website. No other plants were affected, officials said.

Listeria infections can cause mild illness including fever and diarrhea or more serious problems. The illness is most dangerous to pregnant women, newborns, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms can take up to 10 weeks to appear.

The CDC estimates that 1,600 people are infected with listeria each year in the United States and 260 die.

This is the third large U.S. recall in recent months of foods potentially contaminated with listeria, a hardy bacteria that can be difficult to eradicate.

In July, Boar’s Head Provision Co. Inc. of Sarasota, Florida, recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meat and shut down its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, after deli meat contaminated with listeria led to at least 10 deaths and nearly 50 hospitalizations.

This month Oregon-based BrucePac recalled nearly 12 million pounds of meat and poultry processed at an Oklahoma plant after routine testing detected listeria.

JoNel is a national reporter covering food and nutrition.