Latest news with #ResersFineFoods
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Ham salad brands recalled over listeria contamination fears
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health warning for Reser's Fine Foods Ham Salad and Molly's Kitchen Ham Salad over listeria contamination fears. According to a press release from the agency, the possible contamination was discovered when a Reser's, based in Topeka, Kansas, was found to have used a breadcrumb product that was already subject to a Listeria monocytogenes recall. There have been no reports of illness among consumers due to contamination. The agency advises anybody who has consumed the products to seek medical help immediately. The specific warning is for 12-ounce plastic tubs of 'Reser's Fine Foods Ham Salad' with expiration dates of 09/01/2025 and 5-pound plastic tubs of 'Molly's Kitchen Ham Salad' with expiration dates of 08/31/2025. The FSIS warning raises concerns that retailers and consumers may have the product in their refrigerators and freezers. Customers are asked to be mindful and refrain from eating the named products. In May, a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks has sickened at least 10 people in the U.S. A producer is voluntarily recalling dozens of products sold to retail stores, hospitals, hotels, airports, and airlines, federal officials said. Listeria poisoning is caused by a particularly resilient type of bacteria that can survive and grow even during refrigeration. About 1,600 people are infected with it — and 260 die each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. Listeria bacteria thrive in moist environments, including soil, water, and decaying vegetation, and are carried by some animals. The hardy germs are typically spread when food is harvested, processed, transported or stored in places that are contaminated with the bacteria. When bacteria enter a food processing plant, they can be difficult to eradicate. Foods contaminated with the bacteria can cause people to become ill. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. More serious illnesses can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Listeria poisoning is challenging because symptoms can develop quickly, within a few hours or days after consuming contaminated food. However, they can also take weeks or up to three months to appear. Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65, and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant. Listeria can survive and grow in refrigerated food. It can be killed by heating foods to 'steaming hot,' or 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius), the CDC says. But that's not always possible — or palatable—for foods that are made to be eaten cold. Because Listeria can survive under refrigeration, it's essential to clean and sanitize any surfaces, including refrigerator drawers and shelves, that may have come into contact with the products.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Two types of tuna recalled over listeria contamination fears
Two types of tuna products sold in seven U.S. states have been recalled over listeria fears. Reser's Fine Foods recalled over a dozen tuna salad products due to potential listeria, a bacteria that can make people seriously ill. Listeriosis, an infection caused by listeria, can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, chills and muscle aches. It can lead to serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Albertsons, Randalls, and Tom Thumb stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas are all voluntarily recalling the tuna salad items supplied by Reser's Fine Foods, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement read. Jewel Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa are also recalling the products. Listeria bacteria was found to have possibly contaminated the breadcrumbs, an ingredient used in the tuna salad. Items to be recalled include the following products at Albertsons, Randalls and Tom Thumb stores, AR, LA, OK and TX (name/UPC/sell-by date): RM Duo Tuna Salad w/ Crackers - 27183000000 - July 17-19 RM Salad Tuna Premium SS - 21425000000 - July 17-19 RM Snacker Tray Tuna Salad - 21151300000 - July 17-19 RM Sandwich Tuna Salad Croissant SS Cold - 21788400000 - July 16-18 RM Tuna Salad Over Bed of Lettuce SS - 21786400000 - July 16-18 Salad Tuna Premium- 21228800000 - July 17-19 Tray Croissant Mini Salad 16 in - 27841300000 - July 16-18 Tray Croissant Mini Salad 18 in - 27841200000 - July 16-18 Tray Salad Sandwich 12 in - 27841500000 - July 16-18 Tray Salad Sandwich 16 in - 27841400000 - July 16-18 Products affected at Jewel Osco stores in IL, IN, and IA include (name/UPC/sell-by date): FDA officials urged anyone who bought the tuna products 'to use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.' Customers who bought any of the listed items were warned not to eat any of the products and to dispose of them immediately. Alternatively, they can return the items to their local store for a full refund. Anyone with questions should contact Albertsons Companies' Customer Service Center at 1-877-723-3929 Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST.
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Two types of tuna recalled over listeria concerns
Two types of tuna products sold in seven U.S. states have been recalled over listeria fears. Reser's Fine Foods recalled over a dozen tuna salad products due to potential listeria, a bacteria that can make people seriously ill. Listeriosis, an infection caused by listeria, can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, chills and muscle aches. It can lead to serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Albertsons, Randalls, and Tom Thumb stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas are all voluntarily recalling the tuna salad items supplied by Reser's Fine Foods, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement read. Jewel Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa are also recalling the products. Listeria bacteria was found to have possibly contaminated the breadcrumbs, an ingredient used in the tuna salad. Items to be recalled include the following products at Albertsons, Randalls and Tom Thumb stores, AR, LA, OK and TX (name/UPC/sell-by date): RM Duo Tuna Salad w/ Crackers - 27183000000 - July 17-19 RM Salad Tuna Premium SS - 21425000000 - July 17-19 RM Snacker Tray Tuna Salad - 21151300000 - July 17-19 RM Sandwich Tuna Salad Croissant SS Cold - 21788400000 - July 16-18 RM Tuna Salad Over Bed of Lettuce SS - 21786400000 - July 16-18 Salad Tuna Premium- 21228800000 - July 17-19 Tray Croissant Mini Salad 16 in - 27841300000 - July 16-18 Tray Croissant Mini Salad 18 in - 27841200000 - July 16-18 Tray Salad Sandwich 12 in - 27841500000 - July 16-18 Tray Salad Sandwich 16 in - 27841400000 - July 16-18 Products affected at Jewel Osco stores in IL, IN, and IA include (name/UPC/sell-by date): Club Sandwich ES with Salad - 29125900000 - July 16-18 RM Duo Tuna Salad with Cracker S - 27183000000 - July 17-19 RM Quad Tuna Salad - 21500300000 - July 17-19 RM Tuna Salad SS/td - 29486900000 - July 17-19 RM Sandwich Croissant SSTBL Tuna Salad SS - 21372500000 - July 17-19 RM Sandwich Tuna Salad Croissant SS Cold - 21788400000 - July 16-18 Tuna Salad - 21680700000 - July 17-19 FDA officials urged anyone who bought the tuna products 'to use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.' Customers who bought any of the listed items were warned not to eat any of the products and to dispose of them immediately. Alternatively, they can return the items to their local store for a full refund. Anyone with questions should contact Albertsons Companies' Customer Service Center at 1-877-723-3929 Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
FDA issues urgent warning over salads that contain deadly diarrhea-causing germ
An urgent warning has been issued over a salad kit that contains a potentially deadly diarrhea-causing bacteria. Food companies across the nation have recalled lots of salad kits linked to a salmonella outbreak involving cucumbers that has sickened over two dozen people. California-based Reser's Fine Foods is the latest company to recall 123 salad kits that were distributed to delis across Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. All retail locations have been notified and are removing the product from the shelves. This recall is just the latest, however. Last month Idaho-headquartered Albertsons Companies recalled three types of Greek salad-based deli items sold at stores such as ACME and Safeway in 13 states. No other products produced by either company have been impacted and as of yet, there have been no reported illnesses. The recalls were prompted by another issued last month involving cucumbers produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers, Inc. that were potentially contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella is an infection contracted from eating foods contaminated with animal feces. It typically causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that begin six hours to six days after initial infection. Most people recover within days, though the illness is responsible for more than 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths a year. The recalled products from Reser's Fine Foods include a Greek salad kit with the item code 407079 and UPC 13454.38482. The packages include the use by dates of 05/30/25, 05/31/25, 06/02/25, and 06/03/25. The Greek salads from Albertsons Companies can be identified with the UPCs 29307000000– 00901, 29248300000 and 29232900000. Shoppers who purchased the wholesale salad kits from Reser's Fine Foods should return it to the retailer for a full refund. The FDA has advised anyone who falls ill after eating the product to contact local health authorities. Most people sickened with salmonella suffer from a four to six-day illness that causes stomach cramps, diarrhea and abdominal pain. But officials warn children under five years and adults over 65 years old are more at risk from the bacteria because they have a weaker immune system. In serious cases, the bacteria can cause bloody stools and prolonged vomiting. People can die from salmonella via dehydration or if the bacteria enters the bloodstream, which can lead to sepsis — a life-threatening reaction. The recalls come off the back of that by Florida-based Bedner Growers, Inc., which pulled all cucumbers sold at Bedner's Farm Fresh Market. The recalled cucumbers were sold to consumers at three Bedner's Farm Fresh Markets locations in Florida (Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach). They were also sold to a wholesalers, restaurants, retailers and distribution centers. Officials found salmonella bacteria from samples on the farm that matched samples from people who got sick. The FDA said because the recalled cucumbers don't have specific stickers or labeling, customers should discard and not consume any cucumbers purchased from these locations between the affected dates. The tainted cucumbers have been linked by the FDA to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 45 people in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Sixteen of the patients have been hospitalized, and 11 out of 13 patients who were interviewed reported eating cucumbers. The CDC said several people who fell ill ate the cucumbers on cruise ships leaving ports in Florida, though officials are investigating where the potentially contaminated cucumbers were distributed. The FDA warned: 'Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date. 'For distributors, restaurants, and retailers who have purchased these cucumbers, the products were labeled as either being 'supers,' 'selects,' or 'plains.'' The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company.
Entrepreneur
28-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Grandma's Recipe Started Business With $2B+ Annual Revenue
Mark Reser, CEO of Reser's Fine Foods, reveals how the family business that began in 1950 continues to innovate for growth and success. Mildred Reser started selling potato salad to pay the bills back in 1950. The recipe she perfected in a rural Cornelius, Oregon, farmhouse helped her launch a seasonal business, Mrs. Reser's Salads, which supplied local meat markets before it moved to its first small factory and landed distribution in Safeway. Image Credit: Courtesy of Reser's Fine Foods. Grandma Mildred with her family. Mildred's son, Al, stepped in as president in 1960, and the company became Reser's Fine Foods. Eager to transition operations to a larger facility but lacking the cash to do so, he took the company public and raised a little over $200,000. Those funds went toward opening Reser's 55,000-square-foot Beaverton facility in 1978. Because potato salad was primarily considered a summer staple in the Pacific Northwest, Al also expanded the product line to include sausages, tortillas and more to offset seasonal sales slowdowns. Shortly thereafter, in 1986, Al took the company private again to prevent an outside investor from assuming control. "[We] actually received some loans from customers, vendors, employees [and] a lot of family members to make that move," Mark Reser, Al's son and the current CEO of Reser's Fine Foods, says. "We were much smaller at the time, but it was a very strategic move to take it back private." Related: The Business He Started in Response to a Frustrating Grocery Store Experience Surpassed $1 Billion in Sales and Counts Ray Dalio Among Its Investors Image Credit: Courtesy of Reser's Fine Foods. Mark Reser with his father, Al. "I had my own little route, and [it was a] great way to learn the whole product line." Mark began working in the Reser's factory in eighth grade; he continued helping with the family business through high school and into college during the summer months. His degree in accounting proved useful in understanding the business's numbers. After graduation, Mark spent a couple of years driving a truck route for the company's direct store delivery. "I had my own little route," Mark recalls, "and [it was a] great way to learn the whole product line, to have that experience, the interaction with the customers." Related: A Cambodian Refugee Paralyzed By Polio Says 'Not Much' Was Expected of Him. He and His Wife Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business That Beat All Odds. Reser's needed help managing its peak salad season, so Al acquired a company with about 40 employees in Corona, California, and Mark relocated to run it in 1990. Mark learned a lot before moving on to lead an even larger operation in Topeka, Kansas, where he spent eight years growing the company's first built facility, he says. He moved back to Oregon in 1998 and became COO. He then stepped in as president in 2006. Image Credit: Courtesy of Reser's Fine Foods. CEO Mark Reser. The Kansas facility remains Reser's largest base today, with four manufacturing plants and a distribution center. Reser's currently boasts over 5,000 employees across North America and more than $2 billion in annual revenue; the business has also seen double-digit sales growth each of the past five years, per the company. "We always stress that the 4th of July always comes on the 4th of July." These days, as Reser's celebrates its 75th year in business, it must navigate some of the same challenges it has over decades past, like potential commodity issues and labor shortages. Putting in the work to prepare, especially for the company's busiest stretch, Memorial Day through the Fourth of July, remains an indispensable strategy, Mark says. Image Credit: Courtesy of Reser's Fine Foods "We always stress that the 4th of July always comes on the 4th of July," Mark explains. "It's all about the planning up front. We did planning in the earlier years, but not as much as we're doing today." Related: This Couple Used Their Savings to Start a Small Business. A Smart Strategy Helped Make It a Multimillion-Dollar Success. The company continues to innovate to help fuel year-round sales, and its hot side dishes, big sellers in the fall and winter months, have become an integral part of that, Mark notes. Now, alongside Reser's Fine Foods, the company's line includes Main St Bistro, Stonemill Kitchens, Reser's Foodservice, Fresh Creative Foods, St Clair Foods, Baja Café and Don Pancho. Its Mexican food category in particular enjoys sales stability year-round, Mark adds. "Our family's aligned, and that's so critical." According to the CEO, Reser's strength as a family business stems from its shared goals when it comes to leadership and growth. "Our family's aligned, and that's so critical," Reser explains. " They're aligned on reinvestment, they're aligned on the next generation, taking the business even further, and they're aligned on the drive to continue to grow the business." Related: Entrepreneurship Means Generational Independence. These Leaders of a 115-Year-Old Family Business Are Honoring the Past and Building for the Future. Mark's nephew and his oldest son are currently part of that next generation working in the business, and he hopes to see several other family members join the company down the line. "There's a lot of learning that they have to do, but we do feel we've got some great, strong leaders coming up within the ranks, taking the business further," Reser says. "We want [Reser's Fine Foods] to become a bigger part of the meal." Image Credit: Courtesy of Reser's Fine Foods The company sees growth opportunities in meal kit bundling, convenience stores and more snack-sized options, and it continues to research potential categories for expansion. Reser's launches close to 300 items per year, Mark says, noting that many are custom-made for restaurant chains or private label. Related: 10 Growth Strategies Every Business Owner Should Know The key to growth is to always consider what's next and resist the urge to get too comfortable, the CEO says. " Don't forget who pays the bills — it's the customers," Reser says. "And don't forget who does the heavy lifting. That's your employees. Make sure you're having fun and enjoying yourself. If you're not, you're in the wrong spot."
