Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. has voluntarily issued a precautionary advisory stating that its celery sticks from a single production lot may possibly be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. The announcement, released on April 10, provided the details of the product and the necessary precautions to be taken.
Highlights
- A health advisory has been released against 1,587 cases of 4 in/1.6 oz Bundle Marketside Celery Sticks.
- The product, which had a use-by date of March 23, 2025, may be contaminated with harmful bacteria, the advisory said.
- Consumers who are in possession of the product have been advised to discard them.
Warning Issued Over Possible Contamination in Marketside Celery Sticks
The celery sticks that may be contaminated were released under the brand name Marketside. The product involved has a “possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.”, the advisory said.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported the possible contamination after the test result came out positive for one of multiple samples from a Georgia store location. The organism, Listeria monocytogenes, which was detected in the product, “can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.”
30 States Affected Due to Contaminated Product
The Marketside Celery Sticks in question were sold at Walmart stores in 30 states. Select stores in the following states had the product:
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Montana
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
How to Identify the Contaminated Product?
As per the official announcement, a total of 1,587 cases of washed and ready-to-eat 4-count 4 in/1.6 oz bundle packs of Marketside Celery Sticks may be contaminated.
The product was sold at Walmart stores and can be identified with the UPC code 6 81131 16151 0 given on the back of the bag. The best-if-used-by-date for the product was March 23, 2025 and lot code P047650 is given on the front of the bag.
What to Do When In Possession?
Although it is past this date and the product is not available at the stores, some consumers may have frozen the item for later use, the advisory said.
Any of the consumers who have the product in their possession, perhaps in the freezer, should not consume it. The product must be discarded to avoid any possible health risks, the advisory said.
There have been no caused by this product so far. The advisory only applies to the particular product and does not apply to the other products by Marketside or Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., it said.
