Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Voluntary Withdrawal for Salads Processed at its Springfield OH Facility

Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces a Voluntary Precautionary Withdrawal
of all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its
Springfield, Ohio processing facility.

MONTEREY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., is temporarily suspending operations at its
Springfield, Ohio production facility, and is voluntarily withdrawing
from the market all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads
processed at that location (see the product list at http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/).
Products subject to the voluntary withdrawal are identified with a
product code beginning with the letter “A” in the upper
right-hand corner of the package (see example below), and are sold in
the following states and Canadian provinces noted below. This suspension
and withdrawal is being performed voluntarily by Dole out of an
abundance of caution, in collaboration with the Food and Drug
Administration and Centers for Disease Control. See more about this
withdrawal at http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/.

No additional Dole facilities are affected. Other Dole
products, including fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and packaged salads
from Dole’s other processing facilities (with product codes beginning
with the letters “B” or “N”), are not part of this voluntary withdrawal.

Retailers and consumers who have any remaining product with an “A”
code should not consume it, and are urged to discard it. Retailer and
consumer questions about the voluntary withdrawal should be directed to
the Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111) (hours
are 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). Media
inquiries should be directed to Bil Goldfield at 818-874-4647.

Retailers which carry Dole products produced in its Springfield, OH
plant (with the product code beginning with the letter “A” in the
upper right-hand corner of the package) should check their store shelves
and warehouse inventories to confirm that no withdrawn product is
available for purchase by consumers. Dole Fresh Vegetables’ customer
service representatives have been contacting retailers, and are in the
process of confirming that the withdrawn product has been removed from
the supply chain.

Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.

List of states included in the voluntary withdrawal:

• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Wisconsin

List of provinces included in the voluntary withdrawal:

• Ontario
• New Brunswick
• Quebec

Contacts

Dole Food Company, Inc.
Bil Goldfield, 818-874-4647
Director,
Corporate Communications