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A popular vegetable sold in stores around the South, including in North Carolina, has been recalled due to its potential to cause "serious" infections.
Fresh Express has issued a voluntary recall of two brands of bagged spinach, the 8-ounce Fresh Express Spinach as well as the 9-ounce Publix Spinach, due to a potential health risk from Listeria monocytogenes, according to a recall notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
These are the details of the affected products:
- Fresh Express Spinach, 8 ounce, UPC 0 71279 13204 4, Bag Code G332, Use By Date Dec. 15, 2023
- Publix Spinach, 9 ounce, UPC 0 41415 00886 1, Bag Code G332, Use By Date Dec. 14, 2023
According to FDA, the Fresh Express Spinach was distributed to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia while the Publix Spinach was sent to stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
As of the time of the recall, no illnesses have been reported in connection to the affected products, which were recalled after the Florida Department of Agriculture found a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes during a routine sampling.
Listeria, or listeriosis, is a serious and sometimes fatal infection that can cause severe illness in high-risk groups like children, the elderly, those who are pregnant and persons with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Anyone with the now-expired products should not consume them and should dispose of the bags.