Organic by Nature brand frozen vegetables sold at Costco recalled in Canada

Costco is advising its customers in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to either return or discard certain bags of Organic by Nature frozen peas, corn and other vegetables due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The company has been contacting customers through a recorded message, warning them of a voluntary recall by Organic by Nature, a Washington State company.

In a release, the company says it is recalling"eight frozen vegetable items that have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes."

The recall includes 35different U.S. states.

No illnesses have been reported to date, but the company says it is recalling the products three of which were sold in Canada "as a precaution."

The affectedproducts which were sold inCanada are:

The company says the bacteriawas discovered through routine testing by state health officials in Ohio,"where Listeria monocytogenes was found to be present in one lot of Individually quick Frozen (IQF) organic petite green peas and one lot of IQF organic white sweet cut corn."

The U.S.Food and Drug Administration listed the voluntary recall on its websiteandthe Canadian Food Inspection Agency followed with its own listingon Saturday.

Consumers are advised to not consume the foods, butreturn them to where they were bought for a refund, or to discard them.

According to the FDA,Listeria monocytogenescan cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.