Two Starbucks Items Voluntarily Recalled Due to Bacteria, Allergen Risk

Items were made by two different companies and sold at Starbucks.

ByABC News
March 8, 2016, 2:19 PM

— -- Two food items sold at Starbucks are being voluntarily recalled by the companies that supplied them to the coffee chain due to concerns about contamination with bacteria and allergens.

A breakfast sandwich is being recalled due to concerns that the product could potentially be contaminated with a dangerous bacteria called listeria and a fruit and cheese box is being recalled due to potential allergens that are not listed in the ingredients, the company said.

The breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese was made by Progressive Gourmet Inc. and sold at Starbucks in three states, Starbucks said.

The listeria was found on a surface at the manufacturer's facility and the product itself has not tested positive for the bacteria, a Starbucks spokeswoman told ABC News today.

There have been no reported infections to date related to the sandwich, Starbucks said.

"This recall is being issued out of an abundance of caution," the company spokeswoman told ABC News. "As soon as we were made aware of a potential supplier issue with a specific lot of Sausage, Egg and Cheddar Breakfast sandwiches, we removed the impacted product from the select Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas area stores that carried it."

PHOTO: Two food items sold at Starbucks are being recalled.
Two food items sold at Starbucks are being recalled.

Symptoms of listeria infection can include fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms. The infection is particularly dangerous for younger children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Pregnant women who are infected are at risk of miscarriage or still birth.

Progressive Gourmet, which is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, voluntarily recalled the sandwiches sold on March 3 and 4 in 250 Starbucks stores in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Another Starbucks food item called "Cheese & Fruit Bistro Boxes" from Gretchen's Shoebox Express is also being voluntarily recalled due to potential allergens that were not disclosed on the label.

The boxes sold in Washington state may have contained cashews, which may cause "serious or life-threatening reaction" for people who are allergic to tree nuts, according to a release from Gretchen's Shoebox Express.

The items being voluntarily recalled have the label Cheese & Fruit Bistro Box (Item #11015085) with “enjoy by" dates up to March 4, 2016.

No illnesses have been reported to date due to that item, Starbucks said.