Health
SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith has warned consumers not to eat a specific lot of organicgirl brand baby spinach after CDPH conducted tests found unacceptable levels of cadmium.
Recent chemical analysis of this specific lot code of baby spinach determined that the product contained 1.90 parts per million of cadmium is more than ten times the average amount of cadmium found in spinach.
After being notified of the elevated level of cadmium, which is a heavy metal that is naturally occurring in some soils, organicgirl Produce LLC of Salinas initiated a voluntary recall of the organicgirl brand baby spinach.
The recalled product has a “USE BY SEP 13” and a lot code of B030298-001B08S.
While there is no risk of acute illness from consumption of this level of cadmium, long-term consumption of elevated levels of cadmium such as these may result in adverse effects on the kidneys, liver, and the immune system.
The source of the cadmium has not been definitively determined, however CDPH suspects that it was likely up-taken by the plant from the soil during the growing process.
The recalled baby spinach was packaged in five ounce plastic containers with labeling applied to the top and bottom of the package. Pictures of the recalled spinach can be found here.
Consumers in possession of the recalled spinach should discard it immediately.
Anyone finding this product for sale should call the CDPH Complaint Hotline at 800-495-3232.
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SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith have advised consumers not to eat recreationally harvested bivalve shellfish (mussels and clams) from Humboldt or Del Norte counties.
Only the white meat (adductor muscle) of scallops should be consumed and the viscera (internal organs) should be discarded.
Dangerous levels of domoic acid have been detected in mussel and razor clam samples and may be present in the other species that have not yet been tested.
This toxin, also known as amnesic shellfish poisoning, can cause illness or death in humans. No cases of human poisoning from domoic acid are known to have occurred in California.
This health advisory is in addition to the annual mussel quarantine issued May 1.
The annual quarantine applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least Oct. 31.
The July 3 warning about certain seafood caught in Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties remains in effect.
These warnings do not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources.
State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products.
Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood.
In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness.
These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short term memory, coma or death.
For the most current information about shellfish poisoning and health advisories, call CDPH’s toll-free “Shellfish Information Line” at 800-553-4133.
For additional information visit CDPH’s Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov .
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