Person dies from listeria in fruit; CDC warns about peaches, nectarines, plums
WASHINGTON (WISH) — One person has died and 11 people were hospitalized after eating peaches, nectarines and plums, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Monday.
HMC Farms nationally sold the fruits from May 1-Nov. 15 in both 2022 and 2023. They’d been recalled after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found listeria in a sample of peaches.
The CDC warning said, “Interviews with sick people and laboratory findings show that whole peaches, nectarines, and plums distributed by HMC Farms are making people sick.”
No cases of illness were reported in Indiana, but were noted in the neighboring states of Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
The fruit was removed from stores but may remain in people’s refrigerators or freezers, the CDC says. Listeria can survive refrigeration and freezing.
Federal investigators were checking for other fruit products that may be contaminated.
The bacteria can be serious for pregnant women, people 66 and older, and people with weakened immune systems, the Mayo Clinic says. Listeria can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea and other signs and symptoms. Antibiotics can help curb the effects of listeria infection.
The CDC says the latest outbreak is not related to the salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe, which was announced on Friday.