Southern Specialties voluntarily recalls bagged green beans and butternut squash distributed in Southeast because of possible health risk

Southern Specialties Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida is voluntarily recalling select bags of Marketside brand green beans and butternut squash because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may 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.

The company shipped the recalled product to one retail distribution center. Although most of the product was retrieved before distribution to retail stores, some product shipped on February 17th may have reached select stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. So, in an abundance of caution, the FDA is issuing this public announcement.