Spinach Recall in 7 States Sparks Warning About Deadly Infections

Staff Writer

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A spinach recall has occurred in several states after a positive test for listeria, though nobody so far has been negatively impacted by tainted products.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday that Fresh Express, headquartered in Salinas, California, issued a voluntary recall of its 8-ounce spinach salad with the product code G332 and a use-by date of December 15. Nine-ounce bags of spinach from Publix, one of the nation's largest supermarket chains, were also reportedly tainted and had the product code G332 and an expired use-by date of December 14.

The Fresh Express affected products on sale in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. The Publix recall affected products on sale in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

As of December 15, no illnesses were reported in relation to the recall, and no other Fresh Express products are being recalled. Consumers who still have these products in their refrigerators are advised to discard them immediately.

Fresh Express Salad Spinach Recall — The FDA said on December 15 that Fresh Express issued a voluntary recall of its 8-ounce spinach salad across a number of states. The bags have the product code G332 and a use-by date of... FDA

An FDA spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday that the information from Friday is the most up-to-date information they have.

Newsweek reached out to Fresh Express and Public via email and phone for comment.

The recalls were due to potential health risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes, which the FDA says can lead to serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

"Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women," the FDA says.

This recall came due to routine sampling and inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture, which yielded a positive result for listeria in a single randomly selected package of spinach. Fresh Express reportedly immediately notified affected retailers and instructed them to remove the recalled items from store shelves and all inventories.

Newsweek reached out to the Florida Department of Agriculture via email for comment.

This past summer, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated a supposed listeria outbreak also associated with leafy greens that included products from several stores. Nineteen illnesses and 18 hospitalizations were reportedly associated with it across 16 states, but there was no recall.

Publix Recall Salad Spinach — The FDA said on December 15 that spinach sold at several Publix locations across a number of states was recalled. No illnesses have so far been reported. FDA

Epidemiologic data showed that leafy greens were a likely source of the outbreak, though the CDC concluded there was not enough other data to identify a specific type or producer of leafy greens.

The CDC advises those who consume leafy greens to first wash hands, utensils and surfaces prior to preparing the greens. The greens should be cleaned under running water and any outer leaves on whole heads of lettuce and/or any torn or bruised leaves should be discarded. They should also be separated from raw meat, poultry and seafood.