Coconut Due to the Presence of Microbiological Contamination

Why FDA issued it

Note: The revision of this Import Alert (IA) dated 09/14/2023 updates the guidance section. Changes to the import alert are bracketed by asterisks (***). On September 6, 1991, Baltimore District was informed by the Maryland Department of Health of an outbreak of cholera. Three individuals became ill and were found to be infected with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor, serotype Ogawa. The product implicated in this outbreak was a dessert made with coconut milk. A number of different products were collected by Baltimore district as a result of a follow-up investigation; laboratory analysis of a sample of fresh frozen coconut milk identified the presence of toxigenic V. Cholerae O1, serotype Ogawa. The product was also found to contain Salmonella. In 2008, a sample of shredded coconut manufactured in India, was collected, and analyzed and found to contain Listeria monocytogenes,

Quoted from the “Reason for Alert” section of the FDA page for 23-12, mirrored 30 August 2026. The quotation is truncated at the length this copy carries.