Food Safety Newsreported over the weekend that Parkers Farm Inc., a Minnesota company that makes peanut butter, cheese spreads and dips, bagel spreads and salsas, recalled all its products for possible Listeria contamination.  The Coon Rapids -based company said a problem with its products was discovered through testing by the State of Minnesota. No illnesses have yet been associated with the recall.

The products are distributed nationwide under the Parkers Farm, Parkers, Happy Farms, Central Markets, Hy-Top, Amish Classic, Say Cheez, Win Schuler, and Bucky Badger labels. These products were sold at several retail stores, including but not limited to, Hy-Vee, Cub, Rainbow, Byerly’s, Lunds, Target, Whole Foods, Price Chopper, Nash Finch, Costco, Aldi, Walmart and Brookshire stores.

On January 8, 2010, Parkers also prompted a Listeria recall of peanut butter, cheese and salsa.  The recall was a result of a sampling done by the state of Wisconsin and the state of Minnesota which revealed that some finished products contained the bacteria. On January 15, the recall was expanded to include all products and all sell by dates. The recalled products were distributed nationwide in the following retail stores: Hy-Vee, Cub, Rainbow, Byerlys, Lunds, Target, Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks, Marsh, Price Chopper, Shop Rite, Nash Finch, Sams Club, Costco, Safeway, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Aldi.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals 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.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Listeria outbreaks. The Listeria lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Listeria and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Listeria lawyers have litigated Listeria cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, cheese, celery and milk.   Marler Clark is presently representing 46 victims and their families in the 2011 Jensen Farms Listeria cantaloupe outbreak.