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Food Packing Company in California Recalls Shelled Walnuts Due to Potential Listeria Contamination

Food Testing Services

Category	Press Release
Publish Date	8/19/2024
Author	Paul Cochrane
Title	Food Packing Company in California Recalls Shelled Walnuts Due to Potential Listeria Contamination
Introduction	LA Testing provides laboratory services to identify Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, and other pathogens and contaminants to help prevent foodborne illnesses and these types of costly product recalls.
Huntington Beach, California, August 19, 2024 Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted information about the recall of 1-pound packages of shelled walnuts by a contract packing company out of the Coachella Valley. The products under recall were reported to have been distributed to food bank warehouses in Texas and Arizona. Those entities further distribute the product to other distribution centers that can go to consumers, or smaller foods banks, school lunch programs, shelters, or prison food systems. According to the recall notice, Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It also warns that although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirths among pregnant women. “Approximately 1,600 people get listeriosis, the name of the infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, each year in the United States,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “These are figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tragically, the agency also shares that about 260 die annually from the infection.” LA Testing, with multiple laboratories in California, is dedicated to helping companies and public health officials prevent contaminated foods from reaching the public. Their food scientists offer testing services to identify a wide range microbial pathogens and chemical contaminants. These services are instrumental for testing raw ingredients and finished products, as well as for evaluating harvesting equipment, production surfaces, and for confirming disinfection procedures at processing, packaging, and production facilities. To learn more about microbial testing or other food, beverage, and labeling services, please visit www.LATesting.com or www.FoodTestingLab.com, email info@LATesting.com, or call (800) 755-1794. About LA Testing LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for environmental and indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, bacteria, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro and San Diego.