Whole Foods is voluntarily recalling prepared food items containing baby spinach due to a potential salmonella contamination. The products include salads, pizza, sandwiches and wraps that were sold in stores in Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
The recall is a response to a recall of baby spinach and mesclun by Satur Farms. Complete affected product information, including product code numbers, sell-by dates and affected states can be found here.
If you purchased one of these products, you can return it to the store for a full refund if you have a receipt. Otherwise, you should discard the product.
So far, no illnesses associated with the affected products have been reported. People infected with salmonella typically begin experiencing symptoms 12 to 72 hours after eating the affected food (or snuggling certain pets). Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, and they can last four to seven days. Most people do not require treatment, but severe diarrhea may lead to hospitalization.
If the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream and other body sites, it must be treated with antibiotics. The infection can become fatal if left untreated. Infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk of developing a severe illness. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that salmonella is responsible for 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths every year in the United States.