Guacamole Recall Update as FDA Sets Highest Risk Level

Guacamole, peppers, and vegetables sold by Supreme Service Solutions LLC in Kroger stores have been given the highest risk classification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The products are suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes: bacteria that can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, infections with listeriosis. This may cause short-term symptoms in healthy individuals, such as headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

However, it can be fatal for young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems, and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

On September 17, the FDA announced that 11 of the 19 products involved in the voluntary recall had been given a Class 1 rating; the highest risk level is defined by the FDA 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.”

The FDA advised that products involved in the recall should not be consumed and should be discarded. Newsweek has approached Kroger and GBC Food Services, connected to Supreme Service Solutions LLC, for comment via email.

All the products in question are already past their “best by” date, with dates ranging from July 9 to July 28.

The bacteria were discovered by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development through routine sampling, after which a voluntary recall of 19 products was issued by Supreme.

The vegetables had been sold in clear plastic grab-n-go containers at Kroger stores in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, and distributed by Wiers Farm Inc. of Willard, Ohio.

No illnesses or deaths have been reported in connection with the incident since the recall was announced on July 19.

In August, nine people were reported as dead and 57 hospitalized across 18 states in connection with a listeria outbreak linked to contaminated Boar’s Head deli meats. The true number of fatalities may have been higher than this figure. The recalled Boar’s Head Ready-to-Eat Liverwurst Products were produced between June 11 and July 17, 2024.

The products recently given Class 1 status by the FDA include chunky guacamole, pico-guac combo, peppers—with onions, tri blend, and snacking—and vegetables, for grilling, as kebabs, and as a bowl.

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