Fresh Express Announces Precautionary Recall of a Limited Number of Cases of 9 oz. Bag Spinach Due to Possible Health Risk from Salmonella

SALINAS, Calif., April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh Express is voluntarily recalling 2,939 cases of 9 oz. Bag Spinach with Product Codes starting with H081 and H082, UPC Code of 7127913204 and Use-by Dates of April 6 and 7 out of an abundance of caution due to a positive result for Salmonella from random sample testing.

The company is not aware of any illnesses reported in connection with the recall and no other Fresh Express products are included in the recall.

Consumers who have purchased the product should not consume it, but rather discard it and contact their retailer for a full refund. Consumers with questions may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, Monday – Friday, 5 a.m. – 8 p.m., Pacific Time. Consumers can find the Product Code and Use-by Date in the upper right-hand corner of the package and the UPC Code in the lower left on the reverse side of the package.

Retailers should remove the identified 9 oz. Bag Spinach (Product Code starting with H081 and H082, UPC Code of 7127913204 and Use-by Dates of April 6 and 7) from store shelves and inventories. Fresh Express customer service representatives are already contacting retailers to ensure the precautionary recall is executed swiftly. The identified 9 oz. Bag Spinach was distributed to seven states with the potential for redistribution by customers to an additional seven states as follows:

• Distribution:  Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Ohio and Maine.
• Possible Redistribution:  New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia and DC.

Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms may include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Anyone can contract Salmonella infection but the risk is greatest in young children, elderly persons, and persons with lowered natural resistance to infection due to pregnancy, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other diseases.

No illnesses are reported at this time and Fresh Express is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.

SOURCE Fresh Express