FDA tomato recall elevated to highest level due to salmonella risk
Tomatoes from Williams Farms Repack LLC on Wednesday were designated as a Class I recall by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for protecting public health.
The company first recalled its tomatoes on April 30 over fears that they contain salmonella.
A month later, the FDA has labeled it a Class I recall, which poses the greatest health hazard on its scale and is relatively rare.
The FDA defines a Class I recall as 'a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death'.
Affected tomatoes were shipped to three US states – Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
There were 50 three-pack trays of the item distributed, as well as 77 10-pound boxes, and 419 60-count two-layer boxes.
They contain the lot numbers R4467 and R4470, and had the Williams Farms Repack label or an H&C Farms label.
The company based in Lodge, South Carolina, stated at the time that it issued the voluntarily recall that there were no related illness reported.
Salmonella is 'an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems', according to the FDA's original announcement on the recall. More Trending
Healthy people infected with it can experience symptoms including diarrhoea with or without blood, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea and fever.
More serious salmonella cases are rare, but involve the organism entering the bloodstream and causing arthritis, endocarditis and arterial infections such as infected aneurysms.
Customers should not consume the tomatoes and return them for a full refund, or throw them away.
A version of this article was previously published on May 30, 2025
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Toddler found riding baggage conveyor belt after vanishing from parents at Newark Airport
MORE: US suggests Palestinian state should be in the French Riviera
MORE: Map shows where northern lights will be visible tonight in the US
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
FDA issues urgent recall for blueberries after classifying it as most severe risk level
The FDA has upgraded its warning about potentially deadly blueberries, indicating a 'reasonable probability' of serious health harms or death. The federal agency's update followed a recall initiated last month by Alma Pak International LLC, a produce packing facility based in Georgia, over concerns that the berries were contaminated with Listeria. Four hundred boxes of blueberries – totaling 12,000 pounds – were shipped to a single customer in North Carolina, but it is unclear whether they were distributed elsewhere afterward. Eating blueberries contaminated with Listeria could cause listeriosis, a potentially severe foodborne illness. Listeria infections often begin with flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, nausea, and headache. But for vulnerable groups, the disease can be deadly. Pregnant women face miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening complications for their newborns. Older adults and immunocompromised individuals may experience severe neurological effects, including confusion, seizures, and even death. While healthy adults usually recover, the elderly are at much higher risk of fatal outcomes due to age-related immune decline. Four hundred boxes of blueberries – totaling 12,000 pounds – were recalled last month over listeria concerns. The FDA upgraded its warning to the public to the highest risk level 'During routine testing the firm [Alma Pak Int'l LLC] received positive test results of Listeria monocytogenes on their finished product,' according to the FDA. Around 90 percent of people with listeriosis, the infection caused by listeria, require hospitalization, while 20 to 30 percent of patients die. The CDC estimates that of 1,600 cases every year, roughly 260 do not survive. The FDA's new risk level, Class I, 'represents a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,' according to the FDA. Each of the 400 boxes of blueberries weighing 30 pounds was delivered to North Carolina, but it is unclear whether that recipient was a distributor, a store, or other business, or a private individual who loves blueberries. The FDA has not yet responded to questions. Blueberries are generally considered low-risk for harboring Listeria due to their low pH environment, and outbreaks linked to blueberries are rare. Far more common are outbreaks of listeriosis linked to deli meat. At least 61 people were hospitalized, and 10 people died of listeriosis linked to Boar's Head deli meats last year. The outbreak could be traced back to unsanitary conditions – including mold, insects, and liquids dripping from the ceiling – at the company's processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia. One victim of the outbreak was Günter Morgenstein, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, fell ill days after eating Boar's Head sausage, developing Listeria-induced meningitis. He died from severe brain inflammation. Sue Fleming, 88, and her husband Patrick, 76, are suing Boar's Head after she ate contaminated liverwurst, leading to Listeria infection. Hospitalized for nine days in intensive care, she still suffers neurological effects and has not fully recovered. Still, Listeria fears have caused blueberry recalls in the past as well, including one in 2022 for frozen blueberries processed in Oregon. Nobody is reported to have gotten sick. Listeriosis can be mild in otherwise healthy individuals, but deadly in others. In newborns, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems, listeriosis can progress to life-threatening meningitis, a severe brain infection. Between 20 and 30 percent of babies and immunocompromised people who get listeriosis will die, while between 16 and 20 percent of elderly people will die. Symptoms of listeriosis can develop within a few days or even a few weeks after consuming contaminated food. They resemble the flu at first, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever. If left untreated, the infection can progress to cause symptoms such as a stiff neck, confusion, balance problems, and seizures. In pregnant women, listeria raises the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, health problems for the newborn, and infant death.
Medical News Today
6 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Does Medicare cover prescription semaglutide in pill form?
Medicare prescription drug plans generally cover semaglutide in pill form. These plans include Part D and Medicare Advantage plans with drug is a type of drug called a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Manufacturers sell it in different forms under various brand names, and doctors may prescribe it to treat type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and oral pill form of semaglutide is called coverage for semaglutide in pill formRybelsus has Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treating type 2 diabetes when people combine it with regular exercise and a balanced diet. Sometimes, doctors may prescribe Rybelsus off-label to assist with weight prescription drug plans generally cover Rybelsus when prescribed to help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. However, Medicare does not cover Rybelsus for its off-label uses, such as weight drug plans only cover drugs for uses approved by the of semaglutide in pill form with MedicareSince private insurance companies offer Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, their coverage and costs vary. Given this, oral semaglutide costs depend on the details of a person's specific costs include copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles. In 2025, Part D plans have an annual deductible of no more than $590. There is also a $2,000 cap on annual out-of-pocket spending on covered find a Medicare plan that includes coverage of Rybelsus and learn the estimated cost, use the coverage finder tool on more:What is the cost of Rybelsus on Medicare? Does Medicare cover weight loss drugs?Injectable forms of semaglutide include Ozempic and Wegovy. Wegovy has FDA approval for treating overweight or obesity. However, despite Wegovy having FDA approval for this indication, Medicare does not currently cover Wegovy as a treatment for obesity rules prohibit the coverage of drugs used solely for may cover Wegovy to help prevent serious cardiovascular events in people with obesity and cardiovascular disease. This is a newly approved use for the drug as of March 2024.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
FDA vaccine official restricted COVID vaccine approvals against the advice of agency staff
The government's top vaccine official working under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently restricted the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released Wednesday. The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency's vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna. Both vaccines were approved by the FDA in May after months of analysis by rank-and-file FDA reviewers. But internal correspondence show Prasad disagreed with staffers who planned to approve the shots for everyone 12 and older, similar to previous COVID vaccines. The scientists had concluded the benefit from the vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 outweighed the risk of possible side effects, which are rare. Instead Prasad decided the shots should be limited to those who face special risks from the virus— seniors or children and adults with underlying medical issues. Prasad explained that the COVID vaccine benefits must be reconsidered in light of falling rates of death and hospitalization and the possibility for vaccine side effects. It's the latest in a series of vaccine restrictions imposed by officials working under Kennedy, who has long questioned the benefits of vaccines. 'Even rare vaccination related harms both known and unknown now have higher chance of outweighing potential benefits' Prasad wrote in a five-page memo explaining his decision. COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months. Top FDA leaders are typically not involved in the review of individual products. Officials like Prasad can overrule staffers, but such cases are rare and often controversial. News of the FDA documents was first reported by the New York Times. Prasad was hired to lead the FDA's vaccine center in May, after the previous director, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign over disagreements with Kennedy. An academic researcher specializing in cancer therapies, Prasad came to prominence during the pandemic for criticizing public health measures, including the FDA's approval of COVID boosters for healthy adults and children. Since arriving at the agency he has worked with FDA Commissioner Mark Makary on new guidelines that will limit approvals of future COVID boosters to higher-risk Americans, mainly seniors and those with medical conditions like asthma and obesity. Those limits match the terms FDA recently approved for Novavax's shot, Nuvaxovid and Moderna's mNexspike. Novavax's vaccine is the only protein-based coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Moderna's vaccine is an updated, lower-dose version of its existing mRNA-based vaccine. The review team for the Novavax vaccine pointed to data from a study in 30,000 adults, concluding that 'the risk-benefit assessment for this vaccine technology remains favorable.' FDA staff reached a similar conclusion for the Moderna vaccine, deeming it similar in safety and effectiveness to the company's original shot. Last week, the FDA finalized new warning labeling about the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation, on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, the other maker of an mRNA-based shot for COVID. In his 'override memo,' reversing FDA staff's decision on the Moderna shot, Prasad pointed to the ongoing risk of myocarditis and questions about its frequency. The agency ordered Moderna to conduct further studies of the risk as a condition for the approving its updated shot. A spokesman for the administration said Prasad 'has raised serious concerns' about the issue. 'We will not ignore these risks and will ensure that the gold standard of science is used for any decisions,' said Andrew Nixon, in an emailed statement. Outside researchers have noted that cases of the heart condition tend to resolve quickly and are less severe than those associated with COVID infection itself, which can also cause myocarditis. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
