Calif. lettuce grower expands recall across nation

SALINAS, Calif. — A California lettuce grower has expanded a recall of some bagged salads after routine sampling detected listeria contamination. No illnesses have been reported.

The voluntary recall by River Ranch Fresh Foods of Salinas initially included lettuce shipped to California and Colorado. The company said Monday it had expanded the recall to the entire nation.

The bagged salads are sold under the names River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer's Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.

The recalled retail and foodservice salad bags have "best by" dates between May 12 and May 29 or Julian dates of 118 and 125. The code date is typically located in the upper right hand corner of the bags.

Symptoms of listeria infection include high fever, headache and neck stiffness.