Spinach Mix and Carrot Chips Recalled

What sounds healthy isn't always healthy. Let's face it - you are not going to feel so great if you get a dose of nasty bacteria such as the worst kind of E.coli or Salmonella - yes, even if it is from spinach or carrots.

A couple of current recalls in the U.S. highlight the point. Both are bagged, ready-to-eat products which The Safe Food Handbook warns against. One involves Organic Spinach and Spring Mix Blend. Yes, organic. It was sold to Wegman's supermarket chain by State Garden, Inc. of Chelsea, Massachusetts. This product has been linked to 16 reported illnesses from E.coli O157 H:7 in New York State. Unless you keep these products way past their best-by dates, if you bought it, you would have eaten it by now. But remember - it could take as long as 10 days after eating for you to become ill.

Poor New York. In addition to being hit by that Superstorm Sandy, it has been hit by this particularly dangerous E.coli. Special caution for children and the elderly. This could send you to intensive care in the hospital with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). By the way, I wonder who else State Garden sold it to.

And then there is a recall involving Bolthouse Farms carrots - another bagged raw veggie. Bolthouse is recalling some of its Bolthouse Farms® 16-ounce Carrot Chips because routine sampling by a North Carolina health official turned up Salmonella bacteria. The product is labelled as Bolthouse Farms Carrot Chips, Safeway Farms Carrot Chips, or Farm Stand Carrot Chips. No reports of linked illnesses yet.

To your good health,
TSF