Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to a notice posted on the Defense Commissary Agency and several large grocery chain web sites. The notice states that Pinnacle foods is voluntarily recalling the product because Listeria monocytogenes bacteria was found in the retail environment. The Defense Commissary Agency has publicized the recall to all of its stores, according to Richard Smith, lead consumer safety officer for DeCA headquarters at Fort Lee, Virginia.
The recalled product is Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas in 13 ounce packages. The only type of this product that comes in 13 ounce packages is the frozen peas. Birds Eye does sell Sweet Garden Peas in 13 ounce packages, and other types of peas in 19, 16, 32, and 10 ounce packages.
The UPC number of the recalled product is 014500022530 with best by dates of July 5 and 6, 2019. No illnesses have been reported to date, but listeriosis, the illness caused by this bacteria, can take up to 70 days to manifest.
The Birds Eye website and Pinnacle Foods websites do not have any information about this recall as of 1:39 pm on Friday, October 6, 2017. The FDA also does not have any recall information posted. But Publix, Meijer, Tops, Key Food, Wegmans, Food Lion, Festival, Hannaford, Peapod, and Big Y have all posted a recall of this product on their sites.
On the Publix site, the case number and case slot numbers have been posted. They are: Case UPC number 001450002253 and Case Lot numbers 3905079AB1 and 3906079AB1. All of the UPC numbers and best by dates of the recalled product match on all of the grocery store sites.
If you purchased this product, do not eat it. Throw it away in a a sealed package or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Clean out your freezer with a mild bleach solution, because freezing does not kill Listeria bacteria. Wash your hands after handling this product.
If you ate these peas, especially if they were not cooked but just thawed, watch yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. Those symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, severe headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may have a mild illness similar to the flu if they contract this infection, but it can cause stillbirth, miscarriage, premature labor, and infection in the newborn.
