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GIANT, a prominent supermarket company, has issued a recall for its brand of frozen waffles due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall, which also includes MARTIN's brand frozen waffles, was announced after the company was alerted by its supplier, Treehouse Foods, of the possible contamination. The varieties of waffles involved in the recall include homestyle, buttermilk, blueberry, and chocolate chip.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. 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.
Customers who have purchased the affected products are advised to discard them and contact GIANT customer service for a full refund. The company encourages customers to check their freezers carefully for the impacted items. If a customer feels they are experiencing illness as a result of consuming a product, they should contact their healthcare provider.
The recall is being carried out with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). TreeHouse Foods stated that the issue was discovered through routine testing at the manufacturing facility.