Aunt Jemima Recall Impacts Frozen Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast Due to Listeria

Amid concerns about Listeria monocytogens contamination, which could cause a serious and potentially life-threatening form of food poisoning, a recall has been issued for variations of Aunt Jemima and Hungry Man frozen pancakes, waffles, French toast and other products.

The Aunt Jemima recall was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 5, after routine production plant testing found traces of the foodborne bacterium. While no cases of food poisoning have been reported to date, listeria may pose a serious risk for children, elderly and those with a compromised immune system.

The manufacturing company, Pinnacle Foods, reported finding traces of listeria within the production line at the Mexico based facility, where many of the popular frozen waffle and French toast products are produced and packaged. After the routine sample produced evidence of the bacteria, Pinnacle Foods immediately reported the findings to the FDA and began tracing all potentially impacted products to initiate a recall.

The recall includes 17 different frozen pancake, French toast, waffle, griddler, sausage, and chicken and waffle products that were distributed throughout the United States. The products vary in container size and are all marked with UPC codes on the packaging that can be verified by checking the FDA recall announcement at https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm557098.htm. All “Best By” dates of Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes, Frozen Waffles and French Toast Slices are included within the recall.

Listeria infections are considered one of the more dangerous foodborne illnesses, frequently resulting in hospitalizations and causing death for about a quarter of individuals who experience the food poisoning.

Symptoms of listeriosis may include nausea, muscle ache, diarrhea, fever, and fatigue. In severe cases for the elderly and young children, the bacteria can spread through the bloodstream to the nervous system resulting in sometimes fatal infections. For pregnant women, listerosis can pose a risk of miscarriages, still births, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

The recalled products were manufactured by Pinnacle Foods Inc., of Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, where they were distributed for sale throughout the United States to grocery and other retail stores.

Pinnacle Foods has reached out to all distributors and retail recipients to have the recalled products removed from stores shelves. Customers are being asked to stop consuming the products immediately and to check their freezers and quarantine any remaining recalled product. Customers should return the frozen food products to their place of purchase for a full refund. For additional questions and concerns regarding the recall, please contact Pinnacle Foods Consumer Care at 1-888-299-7646 or email them at stremallo@strat-igence.com.