Chesterfield County-based Sabra recalled 30,000 cases of its classic hummus late Wednesday after one was discovered to be potentially contaminated with a bacteria that can be deadly.
All of the recalled cases of classic hummus originated at the company’s Chesterfield plant, says Ilya Welfeld, a spokeswoman for the company. The plant, which opened in 2010 in Ruffin Mill Industrial Park, employs more than 500 people and can produce up to 8,000 tons of hummus per month. A 120,000-square-foot expansion that opened last October made it the largest hummus-producing facility in the world.
“Those cases have not all been contaminated, to be clear,” says Welfeld, adding that one classic hummus container was found to have the potential for contamination and, “firmly out of caution,” the company recalled the rest.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development discovered “the potential for contamination” on March 30 after it tested a random Sabra container at a store, according to a Food and Drug Administration press release. Sabra was informed on Tuesday, April 7. The company wrote a Facebook post late Wednesday informing customers about the voluntary national recall.
The bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, causes the potentially fatal listeriosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1,600 illnesses and as many as 200 deaths occur each year as a result of the disease. Listeriosis is most dangerous to the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the agency’s website.
“To date, there have been no reports indicating that these products have caused any illness,” Sabra's Facebook post read.
Welfeld was unable to say how much the recall could cost the company, but she said there is no indication that any of the company’s other products are affected.
Read the full release from the FDA here: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm441863.htm.