February, 2012 — GH Foods SW is voluntarily recalling approximately 515 pounds of Cobb salad products. The salads may contain eggs that are involved in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease called listeriosis. The people most at risk are children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with suppressed immune systems.

The following Cobb salad product is being recalled:

• 7.5-ounce plastic containers labeled “Fresh Garden Highway Cobb Salad.” These products have a sell-by date through February 6, 2012. They also have an establishment number printed on the packaging: P-44056. The products were distributed in Texas.

GH Foods SW was notified by the company that supplies its eggs, Michael Foods Egg Products Co., that a product inspected by the FDA had tested positive for the Listeria bacteria.

Listeria can cause a serious, life-threatening disease known as listeriosis. Symptoms of listeriosis include severe headache, fever, neck stiffness, and nausea. Children and the elderly are most susceptible to fatality from this disease. Healthy adults rarely die from listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in women who are pregnant when they contract the disease. People who are immuno-compromised (such as people with HIV or cancer) also have a higher risk of contracting listeriosis from food products.

The FDA recommends that people who are at risk of Listeria infection take preventative measures to reduce the chance that they will contract the disease.

• Listeria is most commonly found on raw meat, fish, and poultry products, such as eggs.
• After touching raw meat, fish, poultry, or eggs, wash hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water.
• Clean all utensils, cutting boards, and dishes and surfaces that have contacted raw meat. Promptly clean up spills.
• Do not allow cross-contaminating between raw meat, poultry, or eggs. Do not allow surfaces that have come in contact with these products to come in contact with other foods, such as vegetables. Keep cutting boards for raw meat separate from cutting boards for vegetables.
• The following foods have a higher risk of being contaminated with Listeria: Uncooked hot dogs, luncheon meats, bologna, deli meats, unpasteurized milk, store salads (ham salad, chicken salad, egg salad, seafood salad, etc.), soft cheeses, and more.
• Listeria can grow in the refrigerator, so eat foods promptly after opening them.

The Cobb salad is an American salad dish that commonly includes a colorful array of chilled foods: chicken breast, bacon bits, avocado, tomato, chives, cheese, and hard-boiled egg, all arranged over a bed of lettuce and drizzled with salad dressing.

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