A taco kit has been recalled over fears it may cause illness from bacterial contamination.

Following a recall initiated by Fresh Creative Foods, a division of Reser's Fine Foods, Inc., Sprouts Farmers Market has recalled its Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit after it was found to contain traces of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning.

Affected products bear the UPC code 205916813991 and best-by dates ranging between September 2, 2024, and November 7, 2024.

Anyone who has purchased the product is urged not to consume it and to either throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. The Food and Drug Administration also encourages consumers to take "extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination."

Newsweek has contacted Sprouts Farmers Market for comment via email outside regular working hours.

"Listeria is particularly dangerous as it can survive in refrigerators and freezers, and infected foods may not look, smell or taste different," Michelle Anstey, a food safety expert from NSF, a public health and safety organization, previously told Newsweek. "When contaminated food is handled, illness can spread through human touch and lack of sanitation."

Symptoms of listeria can begin in the days and weeks following infection. Those with a less serious illness can expect a fever, muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

However, if a more serious infection occurs, it can result in symptoms such as headaches, a stiff neck, loss of balance, confusion and convulsions. There can be complications, and some listeria infections must be treated in the hospital. If you believe you have a serious case of food poisoning, you should contact your health care provider immediately.

"These foodborne illnesses are dangerous in that they can have severe health impacts on people, including vomiting, diarrhea, fever and, in severe cases, brain infections and blood infections," Anstey said. "They can be especially dangerous for those who are immunocompromised, including pregnant women, children and older adults."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 1,600 people in the U.S. got listeriosis each year, and about 260 of them die.

Research conducted by Traceone, a regulatory compliance company, earlier this year found that bacterial contamination, which includes recalls made because of listeria and viruses such as salmonella and E. coli, is the second-most-common reason for recalls across the U.S., accounting for 21 percent of all withdrawals.

Earlier this year, a major recall of deli meat products was issued over listeria contamination. An outbreak of the bacterium at a factory producing Boar's Head products resulted in 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths across 19 states.