If you ordered a meal kit recently in BC, you might want to check your fridge before your next lunch.
Fresh Prep, the Vancouver-based meal kit company, has issued a recall on its Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad with Feta and Pita Chips over possible Listeria contamination.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency posted the Class 1 recall on April 2, flagging the 300 g salad for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
That is the most serious recall category there is.
It means there is a reasonable probability that eating the product could cause serious health consequences.
The affected product codes are 26MR31, 26AL01, 26AL02, 26AL03, 26AL04, 26AL05, 26AL06.
Only products sold in British Columbia are part of this recall.
Listeria is particularly dangerous because contaminated food may not look or smell any different from normal.
You would not necessarily know something was wrong just by opening the container.
Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache, and neck stiffness.
For most healthy adults, the infection is unpleasant but manageable.
The real danger is for pregnant individuals, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system.
In pregnant individuals, Listeria can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product so far, which is a good sign.
But the CFIA is not taking chances.
The agency is advising consumers not to eat, serve, sell, or distribute the recalled salad.
If you have it at home, throw it out or return it to the store where you bought it.
If you think you may have gotten sick after eating it, contact your healthcare provider.
Freshprep is a Vancouver-based meal kit and prepared food company that delivers ingredients and ready-to-eat items to customers across the province.
The full recall notice is available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website under recall ID RA-81842.
If you have any of the affected salad at home, check the codes on your packaging and do not eat it.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.