Why Vegan Just Egg Chopped Spring Greens Are Being Recalled

Food recalls typically fall into three broad categories, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, meaning the root cause is invariably either allergens, pathogens, or foreign material. Undeclared dairy or peanuts are examples of the former, small pieces of metal being found in food containers an example of the latter. The third category, pathogens, refers to the potential contamination of food items with harmful bacteria like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli. This is the most far-reaching category, notes Food Safety Tech, because these contaminants can affect all consumers of a given product, not just those with relevant allergies, or those who were unlucky enough to purchase the rare food package containing foreign material.

The recall of Just Egg Chopped Spring Greens from select retail stores in five states, announced this week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), falls into the pathogen category, in that the stated reason for recall was potential contamination by listeria monocytogenes. Per the FDA, only 21 packages from the three lots of the product had been sold prior to their voluntary recall, and no adverse reactions have been reported. Even more encouraging is the fact that all three recalled lots of the vegan plant-based egg product tested negative for listeria before being shipped to retail locations. They were recalled out of caution after a lot from another product with some of the same ingredients — a lot never sold in stores — tested positive.

The three lots of vegan Just Egg Chopped Spring Greens made by the Alameda, California based company, Eat Just, Inc., were recalled from stores in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, the FDA confirms. The 12 ounce packages are identifiable by their UPC code (1 91011 00101 5), and have the use by dates June 10, June 29, and June 30, 2023. If you have purchased products that match these specifications, the FDA recommends either throwing them out or returning them to the store where they were bought for a full refund.

Listeria symptoms like fever, vomiting, and diarrhea typically occur within two weeks of eating contaminated food, observes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the most serious cases affecting the very young (newborns), the very old (seniors), pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Since only 21 packages of Just Egg Chopped Spring Greens were sold, per the FDA, the potential for listeria infections (listeria monocytogenes refers to the specific germ, notes the CDC) is very limited. But if listeria symptoms do occur, the CDC recommends seeking medical treatment.