First Ice Cream, Now Hummus: Why Are So Many Foods Suddenly Being Recalled Because of Listeria?

And how to steer clear of the dangerous bacteria

First, Blue Bell ice cream was recalled due to traces of listeria. Now, Sabra Hummus has suffered the same fate. (Check out fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for the exact details on which of these brands’ products have been recalled.) Are any of our favorite foods safe to eat anymore?

Hank Lambert, CEO of PURE Bioscience, an antimicrobial developing and commercializing company with a focus on food safety, offers some insight regarding the Blue Bell and Sabra scares.

"These recalls do seem to be happening a little more frequently right now," says Lambert. "Although I don't know if you can tie that to anything specific."

The FDA has reported 14 listeria-related recalls since February, including products as varied as organic spinach and frozen ravioli. But it's unclear whether these recent alerts are indication of a larger trend.

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Listeria is a bacteria that can quickly contaminate a wide variety of foods by living in food-processing plants. It can infiltrate the ingredients, raw materials, or equipment. And if you eat contaminated foods, you can contract an infection known as listeriosis, which is associated with gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, in addition to high fevers, headaches, and stiffness. The condition can also be deadly, particularly in children, pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system, says Lambert.

Some common sources of listeria are deli meats, hot dogs, refrigerated meat spreads, pates, raw or unpasteurized milk and dairy products, cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, some smoked seafood products, and sprouts. It can be lurking in packaged foods on grocery store shelves, on your plate at a restaurant, or in your own kitchen. (In 2011, 33 Americans died from eating infected cantaloupe alone—but thankfully, such serious food outbreaks are rare.)

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At home, you should stick to good food-safety practices. Lambert recommends thoroughly scrubbing raw produce before eating it, especially fruits and veggies like melons and cucumbers, which can carry bacteria on their skin that might transfer into the flesh when you're cutting it up. Be sure to isolate foods to avoid cross-contamination. Put raw poultry or meats in separate plastic bags so the juices don't leak onto other foods. Sanitize and disinfect all surfaces before using them and also between switching what foods you're prepping.

Lambert also says that we can kill listeria through proper cooking. Poultry, for example, should be heated up to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A similar, but opposite, principle is applied to cold foods. Listeria can grow in a refrigerated environment if the temperature isn't low enough, so your fridge should be 40 degrees at most; your freezer should be 0 degrees or lower.

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Lambert assures us that major brands and manufacturers are regularly testing their products as required by the FDA. "So there is regular checking going on," he says.

That said, it is important to throw out any products you have that have specifically been recalled—so toss any Sabra Classic Hummus hanging out in your fridge (but if you have other flavors or varieties that haven’t been recalled, you can definitely hold onto those). And check out fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm to be kept up-to-date on food recalls.