By Laura Chung
Coles is the latest supermarket giant to recall products containing spinach after Woolworths and Costco issued similar warnings over their products.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) is heading efforts to alert consumers and is working with businesses to co-ordinate the recall across NSW, Victoria and ACT.
Supermarket giants have issued recalls for products containing spinach.Credit: Rachel Husband
Coles has recalled 11 of its products containing baby spinach that were sold in NSW, Victoria, ACT, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia. In a statement, the supermarket giant said health authorities had advised it that some spinach may be contaminated with unsafe plant material.
Only some of its products with a specific use-by date were recalled. “The affected products have been available for purchase since December 8, 2022,” Coles said in a statement. “Customers must not consume this product, and anyone concerned about their health should seek medical advice. Coles is liaising with the supplier and the regulators regarding further steps.”
NSW Health advised on Saturday that people who have the products should throw them out or return them.
By Saturday evening, 88 people in NSW had reported symptoms after eating baby spinach and at least 33 of them had sought medical attention. Those who became sick experienced a range of symptoms, including serious hallucinations, delirium, blurred vision, dilated pupils and fever.
Costco made its announcement earlier this week after dozens of people fell ill, with some reporting hallucinations. Eight people have become sick from eating the spinach in Victoria, and the state’s health department said it was investigating the source of the contamination.
The same day, Woolworths recalled its 270g Chicken Cobb Salad with an expiry date of December 20 and its 290g Chickpea Falafel Salad with use-by dates of both December 20 and 22.
“The recall is due to potential contamination with unsafe plant material,” said a warning on the FSANZ website. “Food products containing unsafe plant material may cause illness if consumed.”
Aldi has also recalled its Fresh Salad Co Fresh and Fast Stir Fry from Victorian shops on the same grounds.
It is unclear whether the recalls are connected to that of the Riviera Farms baby spinach, which on Friday was expanded to include products with best-before dates up to December 28 as a precautionary measure. It had previously warned consumers about products with a best-before date of December 16.
“It appears these products, which were grown on a farm in Victoria and shipped to stores in NSW, have been contaminated with a weed which can have health consequences if consumed,” Riviera Farms said in a statement.
The company said it advised authorities immediately after a retailer alerted it to the issue.
On Friday, NSW Health said it was working with the NSW Food Authority and other jurisdictions to investigate the contamination.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.