Costco recalls salmon over listeria concerns

E. Coli and Listeria cases are up, experts explain how to stay safe

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Costco is recalling packages of salmon over concerns they could be contaminated with listeria. Acme Smoked Fish Corp, the shopping club’s salmon provider, sent a notice to Costco shoppers this week informing them of the recall of Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon, due to potential contamination with listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The notice was sent to customers who Costco records show purchased affected fish products between October 9-13. Only packages from lot number 8512801270 are affected.

Customers who purchased the recalled salmon are instructed not to eat it and to return it to a Costco store for a full refund. “We regret this unfortunate incident and have taken immediate corrective steps to ensure that this issue never happens again,” Acme Smoked Fish Corp. CEO Eduardo Carbajosa said.

Rash of outbreaksCostco salmon is the latest in a string of food items to to be recalled recently over listeria risks. TreeHouse Foods this month announced, and then later expanded a recall of more than 600 frozen waffle products because they could contain the bacteria. Earlier this month, California cheese and dairy company Rizo-López Foods was forced to cease operating after a years-long listeria outbreak that killed two people and sickened dozens more.Deli maker Boars Head is also under investigation following a deadly listeria outbreak linked to meat products distributed from its now-shuttered Virginia plant.

What to know about the frozen waffle recall due to potential listeria contamination

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Listeria infections can lead to fever, muscle aches and fatigue, and in some cases cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, weighed in on the rash of infections, saying a more complicated food chain is partly responsible for the recent uptick in incidences of contamination. “Every step of food processing, there’s the opportunity for contamination. That’s number one. Consumers want ready-to-eat food, so of course, they’re more processed as a result,” she told CBS Mornings.