Amy's Kitchen, Wegmans recall spinach products for possible listeria
Two companies are recalling frozen food products containing spinach that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Amy's Kitchen, Inc., and Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., announced the two separate recalls Monday. Listeria can cause serious or even fatal infections, especially in older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems.
Amy's Kitchen, based in Petaluma, California, issued a voluntary recall involving 19 different frozen entrees containing organic spinach. It says it issued the recall "out of an abundance of caution" after it was notified by a supplier that the spinach may have been contaminated with listeria.
The recalled products include several varieties of vegetable lasagna, several varieties of tofu scramble, brown rice and vegetables, pasta shells, spinach pizza, and enchiladas. A complete list of items and lot numbers covered by the recall is available on the FDA website.
Amy's Kitchen sells products featuring natural and organic ingredients at retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Fresh Direct and other major supermarket chains.
The company says it has not received any reports of illness connected with the recalled products. It advises consumers not to eat them and says the items can be returned to the store where they were purchased for an exchange or refund.
Also announced Monday was a recall involving frozen organic spinach sold at Wegmans Food Markets, a chain of 85 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
The FDA says the recall affects 12-ounce packages of Wegmans Organic Food You Feel Good About Just Picked Frozen Spinach stamped with the dates:
BEST USED BY JAN 26 2017 50265
BEST USED BY FEB 02 2017 50335
The frozen spinach was sold between Jan. 27 and March 21, and can be returned to Wegmans for a full refund. No illnesses have been reported.
In recent months, a listeria outbreak linked to caramel apples was blamed for at least four deaths, and listeria in Blue Bell Creameries ice cream may have played a role in three deaths.
Symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by the bacteria, may include from fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection in the newborn baby. The CDC says about 1600 illnesses and 260 deaths from listeria infections occur in the U.S. each year.