US Firm Recalls Thousands of Packages of Shrimp Over Listeria

Shrimp as seen in a file photo. (JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)

A Florida-based firm is recalling about 20,830 packages of Fisherman’s Wharf cooked shrimp due to a possible bacteria contamination.

The products were distributed across the United States, said the firm last week. Southeastern Grocers, based in Jacksonville, said the shrimp products may contain Listeria monocytogenes.

The product is: Fisherman’s Wharf, Shrimp 16 /20 Cooked Shrimp in 16-ounce packages with the number 7306067 with a lot number of 77185, and an expiration date between April 5, 2023, and April 6, 2023.

There are concerns that consumers might keep the frozen shrimp packages in their homes for an extended period of time.

The bacteria, according to the Food and Drug Administration, “is generally transmitted when food is harvested, processed, prepared, packed, transported or stored in environments contaminated with L. monocytogenes.”

“Environments can be contaminated by raw materials, water, soil, and incoming air. Pets can also spread the bacteria in the home environment if they eat food contaminated with L. monocytogenes,” it says.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, which it describes as a “serious infection.”

“An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems,” the CDC says on its website.

Listeria infections can “cause fever and diarrhea similar to other foodborne germs, but this type of Listeria infection is rarely diagnosed,” says the agency.

Symptoms can include a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions along with fever and muscle aches, the CDC says.

“Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn,” according to the agency.