By BILL TOMSON - Wall Street Journal, Oct 14, 2011

WASHINGTON—A Salinas, Calif., farm is recalling bagged salads after a sample of lettuce tested positive for listeria, according to the producer.

River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC said it was recalling 2,154 cases of the salad, some of which was distributed to Giant Eagle Inc., a Pittsburgh-based grocery store chain, which also announced a recall.

Giant Eagle said it was recalling eight-ounce bags of “Farmer’s Market” shredded iceberg lettuce that it sold in Ohio and Pennsylvania stores.

River Ranch Fresh Foods said it distributed the recalled bags of salad in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Iowa and they all carry a use-by-date of Oct. 14 and are sold under the brands “Farmer’s Market” and “Hy-Vee.”

Also included in the recall are bags of Parisian blend, leafy romaine, romaine garden, American blend and garden supreme salads.

The listeria was found through routine testing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, according to River Ranch Fresh Foods and there have been no illnesses associated with the recall.

But listeria can be a particularly dangerous bacteria.

An ongoing outbreak of listeriosis connected to tainted cantaloupes has infected more than 100 people and killed 23, making it the deadliest food-borne outbreak since 1985 when listeria-contaminated cheese killed 48 people.

Some of the lettuce being recalled by Giant Eagle was used as ingredients in Giant Eagle sandwiches.

Giant Eagle said it had “removed all potentially affected products from its store shelves” and is calling customers who purchased the products “with instructions to dispose of the product or return it to the store for a refund.”

The most common symptoms of listeriosis are fever, muscle aches and diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems. Infection can be especially dangerous “for older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.