Another food is being recalled over concerns it is contaminated with listeria.

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Sorry, even avocados are subject to food recalls. Getty Images

Avocado lovers, beware.

Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods Inc. is voluntarily recalling their frozen avocado chunks due to a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that, when ingested, can cause a serious and life-threatening infection in pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

“Nature’s Touch is issuing this voluntary recall based on strict precautionary measures after the company was informed by the FDA that a routine sampling program found a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in one sample bag of the Product,” the company stated in the recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

There have been no illnesses linked to the contamination so far.

This is the second listeria-related recall issued this week.

On Monday, multiple packages of frozen spinach were recalled after listeria contamination was detected during a random sampling.

While there is no known link between the contaminations, listeria can hide in many types of food.

The affected products are being sold as “Signature Select Avocado Chunks” in 12 oz. bags.

The packages have a best before date of October 11, 2020. You can see what the product looks like here.

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Here’s a view of the label of the recalled product.

The frozen avocado chunks were distributed to Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, Texas, and Utah.

The product was sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Safeway Community Markets, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Lucky, Pak N Save, Pavilions, and Vons.

If you bought the avocado chunks, be sure to throw it away or return it to the store immediately.

Listeria infections — aka listeriosis — are one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the U.S.

There are about 1,600 cases reported a year, 260 of which result in death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most healthy adults and children will not get sick after being exposed to listeria.

Symptoms usually develop a few days to a few weeks after eating contaminated foods.

Common symptoms of listeriosis include fever and diarrhea, however this type of infection is rarely diagnosed.

Muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance are frequently reported as well.

Pregnant women have the greatest risk of becoming infected. They are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. An estimated 1 in 6 cases of Listeria infection occur in pregnant women. Plus, a listeria infection can cause severe issues during pregnancy, such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and preterm labor.

“In most pregnant women, the symptoms may not be severe, but the infection can be transmitted to their fetus or newborn infants, which can result in serious bloodstream and brain infections,” says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Health Care, told Healthline.

In addition, older adults and those with weakened immune systems — such as people with diabetes or cancer — may also experience symptoms as well as infection in other organs, Maldonado added.

If you ate the contaminated avocado pieces and are experiencing symptoms of listeriosis, consult your doctor and mention that you ate the avocado.

While most cases do not require treatment, serious cases of listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Listeria can contaminate foods easily as it is naturally prevalent in the environment. This means it can naturally occur in water, soil, and certain animals like poultry and cattle.

“It’s very difficult to completely guard against listeria contamination because it is a bacteria that is ubiquitous,” says Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. “Food producers have to be meticulous and vigilant at all times.”

According to Adalja, there are some techniques companies can use to remove listeria germs from food products, such as Listex — an FDA-approved organic solution that targets listeria.

While it’s challenging to detect the bacterium, recent technology has made it easier to identify contaminations and stop listeria outbreaks while they’re still small, notes the CDC.

As a result of this technology, companies can now issue warnings and recall notices before listeriosis outbreaks become a major public health issue, Adalja explained.

Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods Inc. is voluntarily recalling their frozen avocado chunks due to a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. The products are being sold as “Signature Select Avocado Chunks” across the U.S. Listeria infections are one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the U.S., and can cause serious health issues in pregnant women, older adults, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems.