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Organicgirl Recalls Spinach for Salmonella

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

organicgirl Produce announced yesterday that the company was recalling baby spinach for potential Salmonella contamination.

According to a company press release, the 336 cases of recalled 10 ounce organicgirl Baby Spinach with an expired Use-by Date of May 22 and a Product Code 11A061167 were distributed in Alabama, north Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, Arizona, and California.  

The recall was initiated after a package of organicgirl Baby Spinach tested positive for Salmonella in testing conducted by a third-party laboratory for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In a company statement, organicgirl announced, that the company is conducting an internal investigation into the incident and has conducted a traceability analysis and an appraisal of its food safety documentation.  According to the company, "organicgirl raw product testing records for the relevant time period did not show the presence of any pathogens."

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the most common intestinal infections in the United States--Salmonellosis.  Symptoms of Salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.  In mild cases diarrhea may be non-bloody, occur several times per day, and not be very voluminous; in severe cases it may be frequent, bloody and/or mucoid, and of high volume.  Whereas the diarrhea typically lasts 24 to 72 hours, patients often report fatigue and other nonspecific symptoms lasting 7 days or longer.

If a person becomes ill with a Salmonella infection a diagnosis of salmonellosis is confirmed by culture.  

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 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 contacted retailers in the six states affected.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).