Listeria can cause fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea and diarrhea.
It can cause miscarriages and stillbirths even if the mother experiences no symptoms. Separately, the FDA wrote Royal Baltic ordering it to cease manufacturing all cold-smoked seafood, said Joe Baca, an FDA food safety director. Royal Baltic, which has operated under a federal consent decree since 1994, has until Tuesday to respond. Unlike manufacturing processes that involve heat, cold-smoking fish cannot kill any listeria that makes its way into the food, Baca explained. The FDA said consumers who have purchased any Royal Baltic cold-smoked fish should return it to the place of purchase for a refund.