Spinach and mixed leaves recalled due to detection

Spinach and mixed leaves products are being recalled due to the detection of listeriosis in the Republic of Ireland.

The seven products are produced by McCormack Family Farms, which supply to Lidl stores in Northern Ireland.

Lidl have confirmed they are recalling the producer’s spinach leaves from its 43 stores in Northern Ireland and 186 stores in the Republic of Ireland as a “precautionary measure”.

On Friday, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said it was investigating as an “extensive outbreak” of the bacterial infection, which has been linked to one death and nine confirmed cases.

The day prior, over a hundred ready meals were removed from supermarket shelves in what has been described as a “full precautionary recall”.

The spinach and mixed leaves products are branded under the McCormack Family Farms name as well as Tesco, Egan’s and SuperValu.

However, the products are not supplied to Tesco and SuperValu stores in Northern Ireland.

Retailers have been asked to remove the implicated products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.

Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated products.

McCormack Family Farms have been approached for comment.

Last week, 141 ready-made products were recalled “due to a link with the outbreak”.

The various branded prepared meals and side dishes are produced by Ballymaguire Foods and are sold in many supermarkets in the country, including Tesco, Aldi, Centra and Supervalu.

In a statement, Ballymaguire Foods, which is based in Dublin, said it initiated a “full precautionary recall of all products produced at one of our facilities following the identification of listeria bacteria as part of a quality control check”.

The company apologised to customers.

Listeria infection is an illness caused by bacteria that can spread through food.

Another name for the illness is listeriosis.

It can be very serious for pregnant women, people over the age of 65, and those with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection can include mild flu-like symptoms or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

In rare cases, the infection can become more severe, leading to serious complications.

The incubation period (the time between initial infection and the first appearance of symptoms) averages about three weeks, but can range from three to 70 days.