Clearwater, FL — Celery Recall in Florida: What to Know About the Marketside Contamination Warning

Clearwater, FL (April 14th, 2025) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is strongly advising consumers not to eat pre-packaged celery sticks sold at a popular national retailer. Routine testing uncovered Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially dangerous bacteria. While no illnesses have been reported, the product has already been pulled from shelves.

Recognizing that consumers expect the food items and other products on store shelves to be safe, or have appropriate warnings, we monitor dangerous product recalls closely at Light & Wyatt Law Group. If you or a family member developed serious illness because of a dangerous or defective product, call our law firm right away. We will help you pursue damages, and hold those responsible for your illness accountable.

Do You Have This Celery at Home?

According to the FDA advisory issued on April 10, 2025, Duda Farm Fresh Foods has recalled over 1,500 cases of its pre-packaged Marketside celery sticks due to a Listeria risk. The celery was sold at Walmart stores in 29 states, including Florida. 

The dangerous product recall affects specific 1.6-ounce packs of celery sold under the Marketside label. The affected bundles contain four 4-inch sticks. Each package carries the best if used by date of March 23, 2025.

A full list of affected products can be found on the FDA’s website.

Why Listeria Is a Serious Threat

Unlike many foodborne illnesses that trigger short-term symptoms, Listeria monocytogenes poses long-term and potentially life-threatening consequences, especially when it’s not detected right away. 

Listeriosis can start with mild symptoms like fatigue, nausea, or diarrhea, which makes it easy to overlook. In some cases, however, the bacteria spread beyond the gut and into the bloodstream or central nervous system. Advanced listeriosis may cause complications such as meningitis, encephalitis, sepsis, and miscarriage or stillbirth during pregnancy.

Unlike salmonella or E. coli, Listeria can grow even in cold storage. As such, contamination can continue spreading after a product leaves the warehouse and ends up in your fridge – no cooking or cross-contamination necessary.

Who Is Most at Risk?

Anyone who contracts a listeria infection can become seriously ill. For certain groups, however, there may be an increased risk of developing severe complications. For these groups, early detection and treatment are critical. 

Those who may be more likely to experience complications include:

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other adults. Even if the illness is mild in the mother, it can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.

Newborns

Infants infected in the womb or during birth can develop severe infections within days of the delivery.

Adults Over 65

The immune system weakens with age. Consequently, older adults who develop listeria infections have an increased risk of complications like septicemia and meningitis.

People with Weakened Immune Systems

Like older adults, those with weakened immune systems due to other factors may also be more susceptible to listeriosis-related complications. For example, this includes people undergoing chemotherapy, those with HIV/AIDS, transplant recipients, and anyone taking immunosuppressive drugs.

What Florida Consumers Should Do Next

If you’ve purchased celery sticks recently from Walmart, don’t assume everything’s fine just because no one in your home feels sick. Listeria symptoms can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to appear.

The best move for anyone whose purchased celery sticks from Walmart stores recently is to check the label. If your package matches the affected product, don’t eat it. Rather, immediately dispose of the dangerous defective products, and take the extra steps of sanitizing any surfaces or storage containers it touched. 

If you experience any flu-like symptoms, especially muscle aches, fever, or confusion, contact your doctor. Illnesses with suspected links to the recalled celery should report it to the Florida Department of Health. Early documentation can help protect others and support any legal claims that may come from a foodborne illness case.

Florida Product Liability Law and Contaminated Food

Food recalls aren’t just about public warnings. They often expose gaps in the safety process. When someone in Florida gets sick from a contaminated product, there’s legal recourse through the state’s personal injury laws.

Florida applies a strict liability standard for defective consumer goods, including food. Therefore, companies can be held responsible for selling unsafe products, even if they didn’t act intentionally or carelessly. You don’t need to prove that the company was negligent; only that the food was defective and that defect caused harm.

To bring a successful claim in Florida, you typically need to show the product was defective at the time of sale, you used it as intended, and the defect directly caused your illness or injury. It’s also important to have documentation, including proof that you bought the celery, medical records showing symptoms or diagnosis, and ideally lab confirmation of the Listeria exposure.

Such claims can be challenging when multiple parties are involved, which is often the case with food. As such, identifying responsibility is key.

Who’s Liable in Contaminated Food Cases?

Product liability in Florida often involves multiple layers. The company that packaged the celery, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, is the most viable responsible party. However, liability doesn’t always end there. Under state law, any party in the chain of distribution can be held accountable, including 

• Producers and growers
• Packagers
• Distributors
• Retailers

Each party has a duty to keep unsafe products off store shelves. If testing wasn’t done properly, if distribution wasn’t handled safely, or if the contaminated product wasn’t pulled fast enough, that failure could open the door to legal claims. Florida’s laws are built to protect the public, not just from whomever made the mistake, but from anyone who allowed it to reach customers.

Navigating the Fallout of Florida Foodborne Illness Cases with Light & Wyatt

If you or someone you love starts showing symptoms after eating a recalled food product, don’t wait. Get checked out, document everything, and consider consulting with a Clearwater personal injury lawyer who handles food-related claims. 

At Light & Wyatt Law Group, our product liability lawyers aggressively pursue the maximum compensation on behalf of victims and their families. We have more than three decades of experience helping Floridians recover damages for losses including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. For help holding negligent food producers, distributors, and retailers accountable, contact our law group today. 727-499-9900.

Jim Magazine

James (Jim) Magazine is a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer who has spent his career helping injured victims. Jim is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida since 1990 and is also admitted to practice at the Appellate level and admitted to the United States Supreme Court.

Years of Experience: More than 30 years
Florida Registration Status: Active
Bar Admissions:
Clearwater Bar Association
West Pasco Bar Association