Metz Fresh Issues Voluntary Spinach Recall, No People Infected

efluxmedia.com ^ | 09/02/07 | Dan Keane

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Metz Fresh, LLC announced it found traces of Salmonella bacteria in its spinach bags and is voluntarily recalling them, even though none has apparently been infected.

This case comes nearly a year after a nationwide outbreak of illness was traced to a batch of bagged California spinach that was tainted with a deadly strain of E. coli bacteria.

The spinach was sold to retail outlets and food service providers across the United States and Canada under the Metz Fresh label in 10-ounce and 16-ounce bags, as well as in 4-pound cartons and in 2.5-pound four-pack cartons, with tracking codes 12208114, 12208214 and 12208314.

"Nothing is more important to Metz Fresh than the safety of our consumers, period. As soon as we learned of the presumptive positive test, we directed all customers to hold all boxes of the spinach affected as a precaution. Now, with this positive test confirmation, there is no question that we would recall and destroy all spinach bearing these three codes," said Mr. Andrew Cumming, Metz Fresh President.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella bacteria live in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals, including birds. Undercooked eggs, poultry or meat are the most common sources of salmonellosis in humans, although other foods, such as vegetables, may be contaminated.

In most cases, salmonella can cause typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, foodborne illness, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours after infection, usually lasting four to seven days, according to the CDC.

Most people recover from salmonella illness without special treatment, but cases of severe diarrhea require medical attention and there’s a risk of infection spreading from the intestines to the bloodstream, a condition that could turn fatal.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact 831-386-1018, the company announced. You can read their release in PDF format:

http://www.spinnychips.com/metzfresh/Metz_Fresh_Press_Release.pdf