Health Law

organicgirl Baby Spinach Recalled For Salmonella Risk

By Colin Caywood

Organicgirl Produce announced a recall today of its 10 oz organicgirl Baby Spinach with an expiration Date of May 22 and Product Code 11A061167 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The product was distributed in sold in 6 states, including: Alabama, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, Arizona and California.

This recall is the second leafy green recall due to potential pathogenic contamination in less than a week.  On Monday, Fresh Express announced a recall of romaine-based salads with use-by dates of May 13-16th, also due to potential Salmonella contamination.

Organicgirl's recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution due to an isolated instance in which a single package of organicgirl Baby Spinach was confirmed positive for Salmonella in a random sample test collected and conducted by a third-party laboratory for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

Salmonella is an organism that may cause fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and possibly bloody diarrhea in healthy individuals and serious and sometimes fatal infections in individuals with weakened or compromised immune systems, such as young children and the elderly.

Consumers who may experience these symptoms should consult a doctor. The precautionary recall action is being conducted to reach retailers as well as consumers although it is unlikely that any of the expired baby spinach products remain in commerce or on grocery store shelves. The recall notification alerts consumers who may still have a potentially affected package of the product at home to immediately discard it.

organicgirl Produce is coordinating closely with state and federal regulators and is also conducting a thorough internal investigation. organicgirl Produce immediately conducted a traceability analysis and an appraisal of its food safety documentation, which were all in compliance. Additionally, organicgirl raw product testing records for the relevant time period did not show the presence of any pathogens.

Consumers

Consumers in the six states are being asked to check their refrigerators for the 10 oz. package size of organicgirl Baby Spinach with a Use-by Date of May 22 and Product Code of 11A061167. Consumers should not consume the potentially affected product, but rather should discard it. Consumers with questions may call the organicgirl Produce consumer hotline at 831-758-7810, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

Retailers

Retailers are asked to check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the potentially affected product is present or available for purchase by consumers. organicgirl Produce customer service representatives have already contacted retailers in the six states affected.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).