The Braga Fresh Broccoli Florets Listeria Recall: What You Need to Know Now

Check your fridge. Right now. If you bought bagged broccoli recently, you might have a problem sitting in your crisper drawer. Specifically, the Braga Fresh broccoli florets listeria recall has hit several major retailers, and it isn't something to brush off. Food safety sounds boring until you're the one spending three days in the bathroom or worse, the hospital.

Listeria monocytogenes is a nasty little bacterium. It doesn't care if your kitchen is clean. It's hardy. It survives cold temperatures—meaning your refrigerator won't kill it. Braga Fresh, a major player out of Soledad, California, had to pull products after internal testing flagged the issue. It's a classic "better safe than sorry" move, but for consumers, it's a giant headache.

Most people think of food poisoning as a quick "up and out" situation. Listeria is different. It’s stealthy. You might feel fine today, but the symptoms can take weeks to show up. That’s why these recalls are so urgent. You can't see, smell, or taste the contamination. It looks like a perfectly healthy green floret. It tastes like one, too.

What actually happened with the Braga Fresh broccoli florets listeria recall?

Here is the breakdown. During routine testing—the kind of quality control that happens behind the scenes every day—Braga Fresh found Listeria monocytogenes in a single lot of their product. They didn't wait for people to get sick. They moved fast. The recall specifically targeted Wegmans 12oz Broccoli Florets with a specific date code.

The product was distributed across several states including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. If you shop at Wegmans, you’ve likely seen the signs posted near the produce section. The "Best If Used By" date is the magic number here. For this specific recall, the date was October 29.

If you have a bag with that date, stop. Don't cook it. Don't "wash it off." Listeria can be incredibly stubborn, and while high-heat cooking generally kills the bacteria, the risk of cross-contamination in your kitchen is too high. Think about your cutting board. Think about your hands. It’s just not worth the gamble for a three-dollar bag of veggies.

The real danger of Listeria monocytogenes

Let's get real about what this bacteria actually does. Most healthy people might just get a fever, a stiff neck, or a bad bout of diarrhea. It feels like a localized flu. Honestly, it sucks, but you'll survive. But for certain groups, the Braga Fresh broccoli florets listeria recall is a genuine emergency.

✨ Don't miss: Ankle Stretches for Runners: What Most People Get Wrong About Mobility

Pregnant women are at the top of the risk list. Listeria can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, or severe infections in newborns even if the mother only feels mildly ill. It's terrifying. Then you have the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system—people undergoing chemotherapy or living with chronic illnesses. For them, Listeria can lead to meningitis or septicemia.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) notes that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S. Roughly 1,600 people get it every year, and about 260 die. Those aren't huge numbers compared to the flu, but the mortality rate is high. That is why the FDA gets so aggressive when a company like Braga Fresh reports a positive test.

Why does this keep happening in produce?

You might wonder why we see so many recalls for leafy greens and broccoli lately. It’s the nature of the beast. Broccoli is grown in dirt. It’s processed in facilities with lots of water and machinery. Listeria loves damp, cool environments. It can set up "biofilms" on equipment that are incredibly hard to scrub away.

Even the most high-tech facilities can have a slip-up. Braga Fresh is actually known for pretty rigorous standards, but no system is 100% foolproof. A single contaminated water source or a piece of equipment that wasn't bleached perfectly can trigger a massive recall.

Identifying the recalled broccoli in your kitchen

If you're staring at a bag of broccoli right now, here is exactly what to look for.

First, check the brand. This recall primarily affected the Wegmans brand, but since Braga Fresh is the supplier (operating as ASB Distributing), you should check any "store brand" florets if you live in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic. The specific UPC is 77890-38627.

🔗 Read more: Can DayQuil Be Taken At Night: What Happens If You Skip NyQuil

Don't just throw it in the trash can where your dog might get to it or where it might leak. The best way to handle it is to put the bag inside another sealed plastic bag and then toss it. Or, better yet, take it back to the store. Wegmans and other retailers are usually great about giving full refunds for recalled items, even if you don't have the receipt.

If you already ate some? Don't panic. If you aren't feeling sick, you're likely fine. Just keep an eye on how you feel for the next 70 days. Yeah, you read that right. The incubation period for Listeria can be that long. If you develop a high fever or a massive headache, tell your doctor you might have been exposed to Listeria.

Cleaning up the "Splash Zone"

If you had that bag of broccoli sitting in your fridge, you need to do a little deep cleaning. Listeria can spread to other surfaces. It can live on the plastic of your fridge drawers or the glass shelves.

Basically, you should:

• Take out the drawer where the broccoli was sitting.
• Wash it with hot, soapy water.
• Sanitize it with a solution of one tablespoon of unscented bleach to one gallon of water.
• Wipe down any containers that were touching the bag.

It feels like overkill, I know. But Listeria is one of the few bacteria that actually grows at refrigerator temperatures ($40^\circ F$ or $4^\circ C$). Most bugs slow down when they're cold; Listeria just keeps on vibing.

The bigger picture of food safety in 2026

We're seeing more recalls because our testing is getting better, not necessarily because our food is getting dirtier. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) allows scientists to link a specific strain of bacteria found in a factory to a sick person three states away. It's like CSI for vegetables.

💡 You might also like: Nuts Are Keto Friendly (Usually), But These 3 Mistakes Will Kick You Out Of Ketosis

In the case of the Braga Fresh broccoli florets listeria recall, the system worked. The company found the problem, alerted the FDA, and pulled the product before a massive outbreak occurred. It’s annoying to lose your dinner ingredients, but it’s a sign that the safety net is holding.

Actionable steps for your kitchen

Moving forward, you don't have to stop eating broccoli. That would be a tragedy for your fiber intake. But you can be smarter about how you handle bagged produce.

1. Keep it cold. Make sure your fridge is actually at or below $40^\circ F$. Use a thermometer. Don't guess.
2. Wash your hands. Always. Before and after handling produce.
3. Check for recalls. Sign up for FDA email alerts or follow food safety experts on social media.
4. When in doubt, throw it out. If you see a recall notice and you think your bag might be the one, don't "test" it by eating a little bit.

If you have questions about the Braga Fresh recall specifically, you can contact their consumer service line. Most of these companies have a dedicated team during a recall to handle panicked phone calls from people who just realized they fed the "forbidden broccoli" to their kids for dinner.

Take the refund, buy a fresh bag (from a different lot!), and move on. Just make sure you've scrubbed that fridge drawer first.

Immediate Next Steps:
Check the UPC code 77890-38627 on your Wegmans broccoli bags. If it matches, seal the bag and return it to the service desk at your local store for a full refund. Sanitize your refrigerator's produce bin using a diluted bleach solution to eliminate any residual bacteria that may have transferred from the packaging.