Ippolito recalls spinach in the U.S. and Canada

By David Liu

Ippolito International, LP based out of Salinas, California voluntarily issued a statement on Sept 18 on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website to recall for 1,715 cartons of bunched spinach because the product was potentially contaminated with Salmonella.

The company initiated the recall after routine random testing of bunched spinach tested positive for the pathogenic bacteria. No illness has been associated with the contamination.

Salmonella is a microorganism that causes serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare cases, the infection results in the bacterium getting into the bloodstream and producing severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.

The recall is limited to 1,715 cartons of which 515 were packed in the "Queen Victoria" bran and distributed to retail, foodservice, and wholesale buyers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba, Canada.

The Queen Victoria spinach was bound with a twist tie that says ""Queen Victoria Spinach Produce of USA PLU 4090 UPC 33383 65200." The products were harvested September 1 through September 3.

Of the recalled 1,715 cartons, 200 were packed in the "Tubby" label and distributed to retail and wholesale customers in California and New York.

The Tubby spinach was bound with a generic bunched spinach twist tie which says "Spinach Produce of USA PLU 4090 UPC 33383 65200." The products were harvested on September 2.

The FDA on Aug 22, 2008 published a final rule that allows the use of ionizing radiation to sterilize iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling.

FDA requires that irradiated foods bear the "Radura" logo along with the statement "Treated with radiation" or "Treated by irradiation."