Nationwide recall of peaches, plums and nectarines linked to deadly listeria outbreak

Peaches, plums and nectarines distributed by HMC Farms and sold nationwide as recently as last week are being recalled due to an outbreak of listeria that has resulted in 11 illnesses, including one death and 10 hospitalizations, federal safety regulators said Monday.

"Investigators are working to determine if any additional fruit or products made with this fruit may be contaminated," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a food safety alert. 

Kingsburg, California-based HMC Farms is recalling peaches, plums and nectarines sold between May 1 and November 15 of this year as well as as during the same period in 2022, the company said in a notice posted Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA found listeria in testing a sample of HMC Farms peaches in late October, the CDC said.

Sold around the U.S. by retailers including Walmart and Sam's Club, the recalled fruit may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and at times fatal infections. 

As of Nov. 17, the people sickened in the listeria outbreak reside in seven states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio, according to the CDC. One person died in California and another became sick while pregnant and had preterm labor, the agency noted.

Listeria infections can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, illness in young children, frail or elderly people, as well as others with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Healthy people may experience symptoms including high fever, severe headache and stomach pain. The organism can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

The recalled fruit was sold in 2-pound bags branded "HMC Farms" or "Signature Farms," or as individual fruit that has a "USA-E-U" code and a number, as follows:

• Yellow peach: 4044 or 4038
• White peach: 4401
• Yellow nectarine: 4036 or 4378
• White nectarine: 3035
• Red plum: 4042
• Black plum: 4040

The recall does not include organically grown fruit, the company and CDC noted (See images of all of the recalled fruit products here).

Consumers should check their homes, including their freezers, for the recalled fruit and discard it, agency said. Anyone with questions can call the company at (844) 483-3867, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

In:
• Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Food and Drug Administration
• Product Recall
• Walmart
• Listeria
• Sam's Club

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.