Nearly 700 Frozen Waffle Products Across Dozens of Brands Were Recalled Nationwide Due to Listeria

Listeria has made headlines for months, prompting recalls of millions of pounds of deli meat and ready-to-eat meat products. Now, the potentially fatal organism is showing up in frozen waffles. 

TreeHouse Foods, which makes waffles sold under the Kodiak, Good & Gather, and many more popular brands, is voluntarily recalling nearly 700 different waffle products across dozens of brands due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The waffles were sold at Publix, Aldo, Food Lion, Walmart, and Target, among other retailers nationwide, according to an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

People with recalled waffles should throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased for a credit, the announcement says. And consumers with further questions may reach out to TreeHouse Foods at 800-596-2903, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST. (You can see the full list of recalled products here.)

There have been no illnesses reported in connection to the recalled waffles. The issue was discovered during routine testing at the manufacturing facility, according to the FDA. 

Listeria monocytogenes isn’t a new organism, but it’s come up a lot lately. This summer, more than 7.2 million pounds of Boar’s Head deli meats were recalled due to a listeria outbreak that killed at least nine people. More recently, BrucePac recalled nearly 10 million pounds of meat due to possible listeria contamination. 

Here’s what food safety experts want you to know about listeria and frozen waffles. 

Which brands are impacted?

These brands are included in the recall (among others), according to the FDA: 

• Always Save 
• Best Choice 
• Bettergoods 
• Breakfast Best 
• Compliments 
• Clover Valley 
• Essentials 
• Food Lion 
• Foodhold 
• Giant Eagle 
• Good & Gather 
• Great Value 
• Hannaford 
• Harris Teeter 
• H-E-B Higher Harvest 
• Kodiak Cakes 
• No Name 
• Pics By Price Chopper 
• Publix 
• Schnucks 
• Se Grocers 
• Selection 
• Simple Truth 
• Tops 
• Western Family 

Where were the waffles sold?

The waffles were sold at the following retailers (among others):

• Dollar General
• Publix
• Stop & Shop
• Kroger
• Target
• Walmart
• Aldi
• H-E-B

What is listeria?

Listeria are bacteria that can contaminate food. Listeria monocytogenes is a type of listeria that can cause listeriosis, a potentially serious and deadly infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 1,600 people are infected with listeria each year, 260 of which die from listeriosis, per the CDC. 

Listeriosis can cause either an intestinal illness (diarrhea and vomiting) or an invasive illness. These are the main symptoms of an invasive illness from listeria, according to the CDC:

• Fever
• Flu-like symptoms, like muscle aches and fatigue
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• Seizures

In people who are pregnant, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or a life-threatening infection of the newborn.

How are people exposed to listeria?

People are usually exposed to listeria through food that’s contaminated with the bacteria. A wide range of foods can be contaminated, but listeria outbreaks have been the most common in these foods, according to the FDA: 

• Raw, unpasteurized milks and cheeses
• Ice cream
• Raw or processed vegetables
• Raw or processed fruits
• Raw or undercooked poultry
• Sausages
• Hot dogs
• Deli meats
• Raw or smoked fish and other seafood

“The presence of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen waffles is a concern as waffles are not generally considered high-risk for listeria contamination,” says Janet Buffer, M.P.H., senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. 

Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, agrees, noting that “there has not been any recorded Listeria case linked to frozen waffles.”

How does listeria end up in frozen waffles?

It’s not entirely clear. “There is no information on how those products were contaminated, but from previous outbreaks of different types of products, the foods could have been in contact with contaminated surfaces at the manufacturing plant,” Diez-Gonzalez says. 

Buffer says that this might have been a “post-product contamination,” which means the waffles may have been contaminated after they were produced. “Listeria monocytogenes is an environmental organism and can be introduced into a manufacturing plant via ingredients, employees’ shoes, and equipment that has been moved from one location to another,” she says. 

Listeria thrives in all kinds of environments, “but the organism establishes itself well in moist and wet environments,” Buffer says. 

Why is listeria dangerous?

Listeriosis can cause a range of illnesses in people. But it can be serious or even fatal in vulnerable populations, including young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people who are immunocompromised. 

“The safest practice consumers should take with a recalled product is to dispose of the product,” Buffer says. “It is not worth the risk of becoming ill.”