Nationwide Pie Recall Update As FDA Sets Risk Level

A frozen pie recall has had its classification updated more than a month after it was first issued.

A voluntary recall of Nutrition Corp's Frozen Fresh N Lean brand Crustless Chicken Potato Pot Pie has been reclassified to a Class II recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The recall, first initiated on April 25 this year due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, concerns 2,119 meals that were distributed to stores nationwide.

The 2,119 affected products have an expiration date of May 8, 2024. According to the FDA, the product is packaged in plastic trays and vacuum sealed.

A reason for the reclassification, issued on May 29, has not been given. How the products came to be potentially contaminated with Listeria is also not known.

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Newsweek has contacted the FDA and Nutrition Corp for comment via email outside of normal working hours.

Previously, the recall was not classified under any of the U.S. FDA's three categories.

According to the FDA website, a Class II is issued when "a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

Altogether, there are three classes of FDA recall. A Class I recall is issued when there is a "reasonable probability" that use of or exposure to a product could "cause serious adverse health consequences or death." The less serious Class III recall is designated when it a product is deemed unlikely to cause any "adverse health consequences" once consumed or used.

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Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria which can cause listeriosis, sometimes leading to life-threatening illness in certain groups. Children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk. The illness has also been linked to causing miscarriages in pregnant women. There have been several outbreaks of listeria related to food products already this year.

According to the FDA, symptoms can begin in the days and weeks following infection. Those who experience a mild illness may get symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In cases of severe illness, symptoms can include a stiff neck, headaches, loss of balance, confusion, and convulsions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 1,600 people contract listeriosis in the U.S. each year, and about 260 of those infected die as a result. The CDC lists it as the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the country.