Once Upon a Farm Baby Food Listeria Recall Announced by FDA

Posted in Listeria,Outbreaks & Recalls on June 4, 2024

Once Upon a Farm Baby Food Listeria Recall Announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Once Upon a Farm PBC of Berkeley, California issued a voluntary recall on May 17, 2024. Their Once Upon a Farm Organic Plant-Rich Meal, Curried Carrots & Beans was recalled due to potential contamination with the harmful bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

Baby Food Listeria Recall

This baby food Listeria recall involves 95 units of 3.5-ounce single serving flexible pouches in their Organic, Plant-Rich Meal, Curried Carrots & Beans flavor.

Recalled Product:

Once Upon a Farm

Organic Plant-Rich Meal

Curried Carrots & Beans

3.5 oz

UPC 81000351838

Best When Used By: 4/17/2025

 

Affected product were distributed to the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisianna, New Jersey North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

These products are distributed frozen and are “not-ready-to-eat” as packaged. “The end user must cook the product” in either the microwave or stovetop. Both cooking directions can be found on the package.

What is Listeria? And How Dangerous is this Baby Food Listeria Recall for Your Family?

Listeria monocytogenes is a harmful bacterium that can make its way into our food. It is a microscopic organism too small to see with the naked eye.

What makes it so dangerous? It does not take very much of the bacteria to cause illness, and many illnesses are fatal.

You can’t even tell the food is contaminated. Until it is too late! In many cases, contaminated food does not look or smell any different than safe food.

This Food Is Meant for Babies, But the Whole Family Could Be Exposed

While this food is marketed as baby food, this baby food Listeria recall could endanger the entire family.

This Once Upon a Farm baby food cannot be consumed as-is. It must be fully cooked prior to feeding. This additional step can potentially contaminate any surface or utensil if not handled properly.

The ingredients panel indicates the product contains organic mango, organic carrot, organic cooked navy bean, organic coconut butter, and organic turmeric. While the package indicates it must be cooked before consuming, the relatively innocent ingredients can be misleading.

A caregiver heating it on the stove may not give a second thought to licking a small amount off their finger if it splashed while pouring into a pot or bowl before heating. In some cases, that is all it takes for listeriosis (the illness associated with Listeria bacterial infection) to take hold.

Who is at Higher Risk of Infection?

Even normally healthy individuals can become sick with Listeria infection if exposed. However, their symptoms are often less serious. This infection, however, should not be taken lightly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeriosis is the “third leading cause of death from foodborne illness” in the United States. It claims around 260 lives each year in this country.

Certain groups of people are at higher risk of becoming sick with listeriosis and experiencing serious and potentially life-threatening illness.

Those at higher risk of infection and complications include:

• People who are pregnant and their newborns
• Adults over 65 years
• Those with a weakened immune system (due to existing illness, medications, or other circumstances)

Nearly everyone with listeriosis is hospitalized. The case-fatality rate is a significant 20%. While illness may present as milder for pregnancy-associated cases, nearly one-quarter of them result in fetal loss or death of the newborn.

Listeria Symptoms

Listeriosis is a complicated illness. There are two categories of illness, depending on the location of the infection. There are intestinal illnesses and invasive illnesses. These symptoms also present differently in pregnant and non-pregnant patients.

Intestinal Illness

Intestinal illness is generally the first step in listeriosis illness. This type of Listeria infection is contained within the digestive tract. Symptoms are fairly straightforward.

Those who are pregnant often experience milder symptoms.

Common symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting that usually starts within a day or so of consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. These symptoms usually persist around one to three days. However, it could take up to two months for some people to show symptoms of infection.

Intestinal Listeria illnesses usually go unreported because most people experience mild enough symptoms to recover on their own without medical intervention. Treating symptoms with rest and over the counter remedies can help those people.

Even those who do seek medical help for dangerous dehydration may not be properly diagnosed unless specific diagnostic tests are performed.

Unless the illness becomes serious or invasive, antibiotics aren’t usually prescribed.

Invasive Illness

Invasive illness occurs when the bacteria spread beyond the digestive system and enter other parts of the body. This is usually done through the bloodstream. Symptoms vary widely between pregnant and non-pregnant people.

Invasive illness in pregnant people usually appears as flu-like symptoms. Fever, muscle aches, and fatigue are common. In some cases, pregnant people do not show any signs of illness at all.

The biggest risk for those who are pregnant is to the fetus or their newborn. Listeriosis increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

Invasive illness in non-pregnant people can also present flu-like symptoms. In addition to possible fever, muscle aches, and fatigue, these people may experience other serious symptoms. Headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and/or seizures may occur.

The mortality rate of invasive illness in non-pregnant people is also high. Nearly 1 in 20 non-pregnant people with invasive listeriosis will die from their infection.

Have You Been Impacted by the Once Upon a Farm Baby Food Listeria Recall and Need Help?

If you, a child you care for, or someone in your household has become sick after exposure to Once Upon a Farm Organic Plant-Rich Meal, Curried Carrots & Beans, you may have a legal case.

Listeria monocytogenes is a dangerous foodborne pathogen that can have serious and permanent impacts on a family. An experienced Listeria lawyer, like those at The Lange Law Firm, PLLC can help navigate the legal process for you and help hold those responsible for your illness accountable for their negligence.

Call The Lange Law Firm, PLLC at (833) 330-3663 or click here for a free consultation.

By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)