NSW Health authorities are warning residents against buying baby spinach after the state reported hundreds of cases of poisoning.
NSW Health authorities are asking people to refrain from buying baby spinach after hundreds of residents reported feeling ill. Authorities have issued a nationwide recall for a batch of baby spinach grown on a Victorian farm – most commonly being stocked in Coles and Woolworths.
According to reports, approximately 164 reported feeling hallucinatory symptoms and disorientation after consuming a batch of baby spinach. Symptoms also included dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, flushed face, blurred vision and dry mouth.
In a statement, Riviera Farms announced that it was working with authorities to aid in the recall of the batch. “The advice to our customers remains to recall potentially contaminated spinach products from their shelves and to advise their own customers to do the same,” they added.
Alarm bells about the batch of spinach were first raised over the weekend when multiple supermarkets scrambled to remove products with potentially toxic spinach in them. Approximately 50 people reported feeling ill after eating the spinach, and almost a third had sought medical attention.
On Sunday, health authorities issued urgent warnings when a Queensland child was rushed to the hospital after eating the spinach. All recalled products have been dated between December 17th to December 23rd.
While there is no conclusive explanation as to what led to the contamination, authorities believe that a toxic weed – such as nightshade or mandrake root – might have gotten mixed with the recent crop due to flooding and poisoned it.
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By Sunday, Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and Costco had announced a nationwide recall of certain spinach batches and spinach-relate products.
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