These spinach bags, including one packaged for Publix, may make you sick. What you can do
Two popular spinach bags many of us use as the base of our salads and may have in our fridges or in front of us now have been recalled because they might be contaminated with listeria.
On Friday, Fresh Express issued a recall of its Fresh Express Spinach bag in the 8 ounce size, with product code G332 and a use-by date of Dec. 15. Also, the 9 ounce Publix Spinach bag with the same product code and use-by date of Dec. 14.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted the recall on the same day. Somewhere Popeye’s blowing a gasket. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t pack the same punch.
The two recalled spinach items were distributed to retailers in seven states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
What is listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, pregnant women and their newborns, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
Symptoms: Short-term symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, flu-like symptoms, muscle aches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
What you should do: If you have these symptoms of listeriosis consult with your health care provider.
As of the Dec. 15 recall notice, no illnesses were reported in connection with the recall and no other Fresh Express products are being recalled at this time.
Details on the bags
▪ Fresh Express Spinach 8 ounce. UPC code 071279 13204 4. Bag code G332. Use by Dec 15, 2023.
▪ Publix Spinach 9 ounce. UPC code 0 41415 00886 1. Bag code G332. Use by Dec. 14, 2023.
You will find the product codes on the front of the packages below the use-by dates.
How did recall happen?
Fresh Express initiated the recall on its spinach bags, including the ones packaged for Publix, after routine sampling conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture noted a positive result for listeria monocytogenes in a single randomly selected package of spinach. Fresh Express notified affected retailers and instructed them to remove the recalled items from store shelves and all inventories.
What should you do?
If you still have the recalled Fresh Express or Publix spinach bags in your fridge return them to the stores for a refund or toss them out.
For more information on the recall consumers can call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at 800-242-5472 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. eastern time.
