There have been no confirmed reports of illness related to the recall, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here’s which frozen waffles are affected, plus why this is so potentially dangerous.

Which waffles are affected by the recall?

According to the FDA, these are the waffle brands affected by the recall:

• Always save
• The best choice
• Better goods
• Breakfast The best
• Compliment
• Clover Valley
• vital
• The food lion
• Foodhold
• Giant eagle
• Hello and Gather
• Great value
• Hannaford
• Harris Teeter
• HEB Superior harvest
• Kodiak Cakes
• No Name
• Photos by price Chopper
• Publix
• Schnucks
• Se Grocers
• Selection
• The simple truth
• TOP
• The West Family

(The FDA’s full list of recalled products is Here.)

How does listeria survive in the freezer?

Listeria monocytogenes can survive in cold environments, including freezers, “making frozen foods such as waffles a potential source of infection if contaminated,” he says; Darin DetwilerLPD., associate professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present and Prospects.

“Even if the frozen waffles are pre-cooked, contamination can occur after the cooking process, especially if there are sanitation deficiencies or if the facility is not properly controlled,” he says. “Because Listeria can grow even at low temperatures, it can persist on frozen products undetected until they are thawed or consumed.”

What to do if you have these waffles at home

If you have one of the recalled waffles at home, the FDA recommends that you throw them away or return them to the store where you purchased them for a credit.

Just don’t try to eat these. “It’s not worth the risk of getting sick,” says Buffer.

Will cooking waffles kill listeria?

In theory, yes. “If the toaster’s heating element can get the waffle to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then yes,” Buffer says.

But this is a big risk to take. “The only way a person will know if the waffle has been fully heated is to take the temperature with a calibrated thermometer,” says Buffer. Even then, there’s a risk that bacteria will end up on countertops, hands, and other areas that come into contact with it.

More to know about listeria

What is listeria?

Listeria are bacteria that can contaminate food and cause serious illness. Listeria monocytogeneswhich is the form of listeria in this recall can cause a condition known as listeriosis, which can be fatal, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Listeriosis is rare, but it does happen. About 1,600 people develop the infection each year in the U.S., and 260 die from it, according to CDC data.

Listeria has been in the news a lot lately. More than £7.2 million of Boar’s Head beef were recalled this summer because of a listeria outbreak that killed at least nine people and BrucePac recalled nearly 10 million pounds of meat earlier this month due to possible listeria contamination.

Listeriosis symptoms

Listeriosis can cause two different diseases. One is an intestinal disease and the other is an invasive disease (meaning it spreads throughout the body).

These are the main symptoms of an intestinal listeria infection, according to CDC:

They usually start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and can last one to three days, according to the CDC.

The invasive disease can cause the following symptoms, according to the CDC:

• Fever
• Flu-like symptoms
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• seizures

In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause stillbirth, miscarriage, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in the newborn.

“Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are the populations most susceptible to infections caused by Listeria monocytogenes“, he says Janet Buffer, MPH., senior institute director for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University.