Tests Confirm Listeria at Texas Produce Plant, says FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said its tests confirmed the presence of the dangerous bacteria Listeria at a San Antonio produce plant shut down last month after it was linked to at least four deaths in Texas.

The agency recently released its findings as part of an investigation into the SanGar Fresh Cut Produce plant closed Oct. 20 by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Lab tests showed chopped celery was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause a severe and sometimes fatal illness. Those tests were part of a probe into 10 cases of Listeria infection, seven of which have now been linked to the celery.