Trader Joe’s recalls organic basil sold in 29 states

Trader Joe’s has recalled some of its organic basil due to a salmonella outbreak, the company announced this week.  

The grocery chain’s Infinite Herbs brand organic basil was sold in 2.5-ounce clamshell packages between Feb. 1 and April 6 in stores across 29 states and Washington, D.C.  

It has since been taken off shelves, Trader Joe’s said in a statement Wednesday.  

Customers who purchased the organic basil during that time are encouraged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to throw away the herb and to wash items and surfaces that may have been touched with warm, soapy water.  

There have been 12 people infected with salmonella across seven states, according to the FDA.  

“Seven out of eight people with information available were linked to organic basil purchased from Trader Joe’s before becoming ill,” the agency said on its website Wednesday.  

“Traceback data collected by the FDA determined that Infinite Herbs, LLC, in Miami, FL, was the supplier of the 2.5-oz packages of organic basil sold at Trader Joe’s stores.” 

One person who consumed the fresh basil has been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

“I am heartbroken at the thought that any item we sold may have caused illness or discomfort,” Infinite Herbs CEO Gregorio Berliavsky said in a statement.

“We simply will not rest until we can once again be confident in the safety of this product.” 

Salmonellosis is the leading cause of hospitalizations and death from food poisoning. Every year there are about 1.35 million cases of salmonellosis resulting in 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths, according to the CDC.  

Signs of the possible salmonella infection include having a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit accompanied by diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than three days, bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.