Article Last Updated:12/05/2006 04:15:31 PM PST
SAN FRANCISCO – Jamba Juice Co. warned consumers Tuesday that a potentially deadly bacterium may have contaminated smoothies that contain strawberries.
The warning, released in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, applies to smoothies sold at Jamba Juice stores in Arizona, Southern Nevada and Southern California between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1.
San Francisco-based Jamba Juice issued the warning after one of its suppliers – Cleugh's Frozen Foods of Salinas – said that frozen strawberries from one of its facilities tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The bacterium can cause sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and others with weak immune systems. Infection can lead to fevers, headaches, nausea, diarrhea and other symptoms in healthy individuals, and cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Jamba Juice said it halted all shipments from where the Listeria was found and removed all strawberries provided by that facility.
The company said it has not received any reports of confirmed illnesses among consumers. Concerned customers can call the Jamba Juice consumer help line at 1-877-464-5689.