Read This If You Recently Bought Kale At Kroger

The grocery chain Kroger announced on September 17 that it will be voluntarily pulling all 16-ounce bags of Kroger-branded bagged kale from store shelves due to concerns that the product may have been contaminated with the organism Listeria monocytogenes. According to Consumer Reports, this recall was initiated after the company was made aware that a random test conducted by the Ohio Consumer Protection Laboratory detected the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in one bag of kale. 

The recall includes all 16-ounce bags of Kroger brand kale, as well as two affiliated brands, Baker Farms and SEG Grocers. All items, produced by Baker Farms, bear the best-by date of 9/18/2021 and the UPCs 11110 18170 1, 8 13098 02001 6, and 0 38259 11482 7, respectively. All potentially contaminated products can be returned to the store for a full refund, per Eat This, Not That. To date, there have been no illnesses reported in relation to this voluntary recall.

The potentially contaminated products were distributed between August 30 and September 1, 2021, to retail stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, according to the FDA. Customers who may have purchased these kale products are urged not to consume them but to dispose of them or return them immediately. 

People who come into contact with Listeria monocytogenes may develop a serious infection. Healthy adults generally experience only short-term symptoms, including headache, nausea, stiffness, and fever, per the FDA. However, this infection is particularly dangerous for children, the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, who may be at risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. Anyone who has experienced these symptoms and believes they may have come into contact with the contaminated produce should contact their health care provider. Individuals with questions about the recall can contact Kroger at 1-800-KROGERS from 8 a.m to 12 a.m. EST Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.