Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling bagged spinach distributed in 13 states due to possible salmonella contamination, the company said.
Company spokesman William Goldfield said no illnesses had been reported and that the company is cooperating with the Food and Drug Administration.
Goldfield said about 2,800 cases — 33,600 bags — of spinach were involved in the recall. The spinach is coded A27409B & A27409A, with an Enjoy By date of October 15 and UPC 7143000976.
The precautionary recall stems from an “isolated instance” in which a random sample of the spinach tested positive for salmonella in a test conducted by Michigan’s Agriculture Department, the company said. The Dole plant is in Springfield, Ohio.
Consumers who have the spinach are warned to discard it. Dole was contacting stores to ensure the spinach is removed from shelves. The spinach was distributed in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin.
“The FDA told us about the test yesterday and we immediately began recalling the product,” Goldfield told USA TODAY on Wednesday. “I believe the FDA is going through the plant right now, and we expect to get back up and running soon.”
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning can include fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting or abnormal pain. The illness primarily effects young children, frail and elderly people and those with weakened immune systems.
Salmonella also can be deadly. Two ex-officials of Peanut Corporation of America were sentenced to prison Oct. 1 for their roles in a salmonella outbreak blamed for killing nine people and sickening hundreds.
