The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has identified several cases of infection linked to lettuce recently sold at Australian supermarkets – Coles and Woolworths.
Two people have been admitted to hospital following to a salmonella outbreak.
Victorian company Tripod Farmers grows, packages and sells Lettuce to Coles and Woolworths as Coles 4 leaf Mix, Woolworths Salad Mix, SupaSalad, Supamix and Wash N Toss Salad mix. These pre-packaged lettuces have been infected and the supermarkets are urgently recalling them.
The affected products have best before dates leading up to and including February 14.
The health department identified the lettuce after recording an unusually high level of salmonella anatum strain infections and traced a number of those back to the products.
The Health Department’s senior medical advisor Dr Finn Romanes told Fairfax Media, “Given the prevalence of the products and their distribution through supermarkets, he said the cases known to date were likely to be the "tip of the iceberg". We do expect to see more cases." he said.
Woolworths is recalling five products in NSW, Victoria and the ACT with use by dates of February 14 or earlier.
- 100g bag Select Fresh Cut Baby Spinach
- 100g bag Select Fresh Cut Salad Mix
- 100g bag Select Fresh Cut Baby Rocket
- Loose Baby spinach
- Loose Mescluin
Coles said it was recalling the following pre-packed bags of salad in NSW, Victoria, Northern Territory and South Australia with use by dates of or before February 11.
- Coles Spinach 60g
- Coles Rocket 60g
- Coles Rocket 120g
- Coles Spinach & Rocket 120g
- Coles Spinach 120g
- Coles 4 Leaf Salad 120g
- Coles 4 Leaf Salad 200g
