Listeria Testing Services

Huntington Beach, California, May 21 2025

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted information about a precautionary advisory issued by a fruit and vegetable producer out of California for a single production lot of washed and ready-to-eat celery sticks. The product’s use-by-date was for earlier this year and it is no longer in stores, but the advisory was still posted in case consumers have frozen the item for later use.

According to the notice:

This advisory is being initiated due to the possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The potential for contamination was discovered during random sampling by the Georgia Department of Agriculture from a Georgia store location where one of multiple samples yielded a positive test result.

The advisory describes Listeria monocytogenes as an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It also warns that although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirths among pregnant women.

“Listeria has been associated with the contamination and recall of many different types of foods,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “Tragically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 260 people die annually in the United States from Listeria infections. At LA Testing, we are dedicated to helping companies and public health officials in their efforts to prevent contaminated foods from reaching the public. With multiple laboratories in California, our food scientists offer testing services to identify a wide range of microbial pathogens and chemical contaminants. These services are instrumental in testing raw ingredients and finished products, as well as for evaluating harvesting equipment, production surfaces, and for confirming disinfection procedures at processing and manufacturing facilities.”

To learn more about microbial testing or other food, beverage, and labeling services, please visit www.LATesting.com or www.FoodTestingLab.com, email info@LATesting.com, or call (800) 755-1794. 

  

LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for environmental and indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, bacteria, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro and San Diego.