Publix Spinach and Fresh Express Spinach recalled due to listeria fears
Fresh Express, the salad-mix maker behind two separate outbreaks that sickened more than 1,200 people in recent years, is now recalling two packaged spinach products sold by retailers in seven states due to possible listeria contamination.
The recalled spinach was sold by retailers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, Fresh Express stated in a notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration.
The latest recall by the Salinas, California, subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International involves 8-ounce packages of Fresh Express Spinach with the product code G332 and use-by date of December 15 and 9-ounce packages of Publix Spinach with the product code G332 and now expired use-by date of December 14.
The Fresh Express Spinach being recalled bears the UPC code 0 71279 13204 4 and was distributed to retailers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
an 2018 outbreak of intestinal illnesses tied to salads sold at McDonald’s restaurants that resulted in 511 confirmed cases of cyclospora infections in 15 states and New York City. All 511 people were stricken after eating salads from McDonald’s restaurants in the Midwest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were no deaths, but 24 people were hospitalized, with McDonald’s switching to another salad-mix supplier as a result.
The FDA confirmed the presence of the cyclospora at a Fresh Express processing plant in Streamwood, Illinois.
In June of 2020, Fresh Express recalled bags of salad produced at the Streamwood plant due to cyclospora infections that eventually infected 701 people in 14 states, hospitalizing 38 people, according to the CDC. No deaths were reported.
The following year, Fresh Express recalled 10 brands of salad mixes after listeria was found in a sample test of its products, with those items also produced at the company’s plant in Streamwood. The products were linked to an outbreak that hospitalized 10 and resulted in one death, according to the CDC.
More recently, in April of this year, Fresh Express recalled salad kit products produced in Morrow, Georgia, due to listeria concerns, with no illnesses reported.
Kate Gibson
Source: cbsnews.com