Jamba Juice issues health warning

Jamba Juice Co. warned consumers Tuesday that a potentially deadly bacterium might have contaminated smoothies that contained strawberries.

The warning, released in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration, applies to smoothies sold at Jamba Juice stores in Southern California, Arizona and southern Nevada from Nov. 25 to Friday.

San Francisco-based Jamba Juice issued the warning after one of its suppliers -- the Salinas, Calif., branch of Cleugh’s Frozen Foods Inc. -- said frozen strawberries from one of its facilities tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The bacterium can cause sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Infection can lead to fevers, headaches, nausea, diarrhea and other symptoms in healthy individuals and cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Jamba Juice said it halted all shipments from where the Listeria was found and removed all strawberries provided by that facility.

The company said it had not received any reports of confirmed illnesses among consumers. Concerned customers can call Jamba Juice’s consumer help line at (877) 464-5689.