The Wegmans recall of spinach and spring mix salad greens has been linked to an E. coli outbreak in New York that is now being investigated by federal as well as state health officials. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it is collaborating with the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the outbreak that has sickened at least 16 people in New York.
The spinach recall includes Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix sold in 5 ounce and 11 ounce plastic clamshell containers at its stores in six states: Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. “Test results indicate that only product with a use-by-date of October 23 is connected to the reported illnesses,” the firm’s recall posted yesterday on the FDA website states.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Bloody stools are also common. The symptoms usually appear three days after exposure and can last as long as a week. Some people, especially small children and seniors, can develop a condition called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) which leads to kidney failure. HUS can also lead to serious kidney damage, stroke, coma and death. Consumers who ate the recalled salad greens and develop symptoms should contact a health care provider.
Wegmans has removed the product from its stores and notified its customers and its supplier, State Garden Inc. of Chelsea, Mass., of the problem. FDA investigators are working with New York state officials, Wegmans, and State Garden to determine if there was any further distribution of this product. The investigation is ongoing.
I am confused w/ this recall…. I have a pkge of 5 oz organic spring mix best by date: Oct 26 and also have an 11 oz pkge of organic spinach best buy date Oct 29th. I have not used any should I return these to the store? Empty clam shell and find receipt ? Is the recall regarding just the combined spring mix and spinach packages with the use by Oct 23rd date
My guess is that you are not alone. The recall announcement published by the FDA is a bit confusing. The answer to your question is that the recalled product is “a blend of organic spinach and spring mix,” according to the third paragraph of the recall announcement. The key word here is “blend”.