Fresh Creative Foods recalls Dressing and Taco Kit: Reason, affected products, and more

Fresh Creative Foods has issued a nationwide recall for select food dressing and taco kits over concerns of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The cheese ingredients used in the dressing and taco kit products are feared to be a source of the contamination and have already been recalled by the supplier - Rizo-López Foods Inc.

The two recalls are linked to an ongoing investigation into a Listeria outbreak related to dairy products that have infected more than 22 people across the United States.

Fresh Creative's dressing and taco kit products affected by the voluntary recall issued on February 7, include - 'Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema, Don Pancho Everything Sauce Fiesta, HEB Cilantro Cotija dressing, HEB Poblano Caesar dressing, Trader Joes Cilantro dressing, and Don Pancho Chicken Street Taco Express Meal Kit.'

The cheese used in the affected food dressing and salad kits may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Image via FDA)

Distributed to major retailers nationwide, the affected food dressing and taco kits are not known to have been linked with any incidents of infection or sickness. However, if an individual ends up consuming the affected food dressing and taco kit products either cooked or raw, they may be at a risk of experiencing a Listeriosis infection.

A listeriosis infection can be fatal to people with weak immunity like - small children, the elderly, those who have undergone surgeries recently, and others with certain medical conditions.

Healthy individuals, however, may only experience a short-term infection with symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, stiffness in the body and the neck, severe headaches, fever, and vomiting.

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All you need to know about Fresh Creative Foods' Dressing and Taco Kit Recall

Over five food dressings and a taco kit are part of a nationwide voluntary recall issued by Fresh Creative Foods. Feared to be potentially contaminated with Listeria, the affected products may lead to severe or fatal infections and sickness.

Packed in labeled glass bottles, the dressing products were available under the labels - Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema, Don Pancho Everything Sauce Fiesta, HEB Cilantro Cotija dressing, HEB Poblano Caesar dressing, and Trader Joes Cilantro dressing.

The taco kit, however, was packed in a labeled clamshell package and was available under the name - Don Pancho Chicken Street Taco Express Meal Kit.

It is to be noted that all of the affected items were widely sold through retailers like Trader Joe's, H-E-B, and Albertson's.

The affected taco kits and dressings should not be consumed any longer (Image via FDA)

Customers may have been able to purchase them throughout the regions of California (CA), Florida (FL), Connecticut (CT), Illinois (IL), New Jersey (NJ), Texas (TX), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Vancouver (VA), Washington (WA), Idaho (ID), Maryland (MD), Montana (MT), Nevada (NV), South Dakota (SD), and Utah (UT).

Item	Size	Affected Use By Dates
DON PANCHO CILANTRO LIME CREMA TWIN PACK	2pk of 32oz bottles	3/21/2024 - 4/4/2024
DON PANCHO EVERYTHING SAUCE FIESTA 3 PACK	3pk of 12oz bottles	3/11/2024 - 3/26/2024
HEB CILANTRO COTIJA DRESSING	12oz bottles	1/13/2024 - 3/30/2024
HEB POBLANO CAESAR DRESSING	12oz bottles	1/14/2024 - 3/31/2024
TRADER JOES CILANTRO DRESSING	12oz bottles	2/19/2024 - 5/14/2024
DON PANCHO CHICKEN STREET TACO EXPRESS MEAL KIT	22oz tray	12/12/2023 - 3/17/2024

People who may have purchased any of the products affected by this recall are strictly urged not to use them in their food. All affected bottles and packs of the dressing and taco kits should either be thrown away or returned to your retailers for a full refund.

Queries or doubts related to the recall can be forwarded to the establishment's representative, Linda Reidman, at 503-267-8373.