OKLAHOMA, U.S. –
You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it — but contaminated food can still make you seriously sick. And this year, Oklahoma shoppers have had more reason than usual to double-check what’s in their cart.
Since January, the FDA and USDA have reported more than 160 major food recalls nationwide. State officials have traced four of those directly back to Oklahoma: iceberg lettuce, jalapeños, eggs, and most recently, frozen berries.
Why You Can’t Just “Look” for Contamination
Nina Levine, an epidemiologist with the Tulsa Health Department, says shoppers often assume they’d notice if something were wrong with their food. That’s not how it works.
“Unfortunately, just by looking at produce and food items, you can’t tell yourself if something is contaminated, because the contaminants are microscopic organisms,” Levine said. “So unfortunately, you can’t depend on just your own senses.”
That’s part of why symptoms can take so long to show up — and why it’s often hard to pin down which meal made you sick.
“With salmonella, for example, it could be as short as six hours or as long as six days after you’ve eaten the food,” Levine said. “With E. coli, it could be one to three days. With Cyclospora, it could be up to two weeks.”
Because of that lag, Levine says it’s not accurate to assume the last thing you ate is automatically the cause.
The Code Hiding Near Your Expiration Date
Katie Plohocky, executive director of RG Foods, says there’s a simple way shoppers can check a product themselves: the traceability code, usually printed right underneath the “best by” expiration date.
“Sometimes it will start with like TF, and then a number, number, number — that TF indicates it comes from Taylor Farms,” Plohocky said. “So you could easily identify that it was from that company.”
That code can be cross-checked against the FDA’s recall database, which lets users search by state to see which recalls apply in Oklahoma.
Plohocky says her store checks every incoming product against the recall list as soon as a new alert goes out, and keeps detailed harvest records for produce grown on the farm that supplies the store — down to which row it came from.
What’s Actually Been Recalled in Oklahoma This Year
Shell eggs — Midwest Poultry Services, sold under the Brookshire’s and Country Morning brands, linked to Salmonella EnteritidisShredded lettuce and salad mix — Taylor Farms products sold at Walmart, linked to Cyclospora traced to central MexicoFresh salsa and pico de gallo — Taylor Farms products sold at Walmart, linked to Salmonella Javiana from a jalapeño ingredientFrozen organic berries — Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend sold at Walmart, linked to E. coli
When to Actually See a Doctor
Both Levine and Plohocky say most people can manage mild symptoms at home, but there are clear signs it’s time for medical care.
“The time to go to the doctor would be if they have really severe symptoms, like bloody diarrhea, or if they’re having diarrhea for three or more days in a row,” Levine said. She added that severe dehydration — from diarrhea or vomiting that won’t let you keep liquids down — is also a reason to seek care.
Children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant people, and anyone who is immunocompromised face the highest risk from foodborne illness, according to Levine.
If You Find a Recalled Item in Your Kitchen
Don’t throw it away — take it back.
Returning a recalled product to the store helps retailers track what’s actually moved off their shelves and alerts their suppliers further up the chain. Plohocky said her store keeps recalled items on hand rather than disposing of them, specifically so health officials can test them if needed.
Shoppers with questions about a specific product or illness can also call the Tulsa Health Department’s epidemiology line, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dining and Cooking