True Leaf Farms announced on September 29, that it is expanding its recall of chopped and bagged romaine. The recall now includes 2,498 cartons of the product.

The product recall was previously announced because of a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This bagged romaine was shipped from September 12 to 13 to a retail foodservice operator in the state of Oregon. The foodservice operator then re-distributed the product to the states of Idaho and Washington.

At the FDA’s request, the recall was expanded in order to include bagged romaine that were shipped to wholesale foodservice operators in 19 US states, as well as in Alberta, Canada. States that are included in the recall are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Tennessee. All bagged romaine that are affected by the recall has a “Use By” date of 9-29-11. The only store where the recalled bagged romaine was available for consumers to directly buy is at “Cash & Carry Smart Food Service” stores which are located in the states of Oregon,Idaho and Washington. These stores are owned by Unified Grocers, Inc.

Listeria monocytogenes is a harmful contaminant in food. This bacterium is the cause of a kind of food poisoning called Listeriosis. Symptoms of this condition include fever, stiffness, abdominal pain, severe headache, nausea and diarrhea. Listeriosis can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages in pregnant women, and even death in people with weak immune systems. Currently, there have been no illnesses reported which are related to the recalled romaine.

Consumers who want to know more about the recall can visit the company’s website at www.churchbrothers.com/recall.