Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

BrightFarms Spinach and Salad Kits recall: Potential Foodborne Illness-Listeria monocytogenes

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Foodborne Illness-Listeria monocytogenes

BrightFarms Fresh produce — recalled fresh produceBrightFarms Fresh produce — recalled fresh produce (photo 2)BrightFarms Fresh produce — recalled fresh produce (photo 3)BrightFarms Fresh produce — recalled fresh produce (photo 4)
4 photos published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Listeria contamination

Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

What the notice says: Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Why it matters: Listeria monocytogenes is unusual among foodborne bacteria because it keeps growing at refrigerator temperature. A contaminated pack does not become safer for sitting in the cold, and it will look, smell and taste completely normal.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

Listeriosis is mild or silent in most healthy adults, but it is serious for pregnant people, newborns, adults over 65 and anyone whose immune system is suppressed. The CDC describes intestinal illness as diarrhoea and vomiting, and invasive illness as fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. In pregnancy it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infection in the newborn even when the parent feels only mildly unwell. Symptoms can start within a day or not appear for weeks, so tell any doctor you see that you ate a recalled product and give them the date.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
January 17, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
BrightFarms
Product type
Fresh produce
Distribution
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
UPC codes
857062004923, 850051825011, 857062004152, 857062004169, 850051825004
Reports of harm
No illnesses have been reported to date.

Products covered by this recall

Spinach and Salad Kits

What the company announced

Selinsgrove, PA (January 17, 2024) –– BrightFarms has issued a voluntary recall of spinach grown by its supplier Element Farms in their Pompton Plains, New Jersey farm and distributed under the BrightFarms brand because the spinach has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes . Due to potential cross-contamination, BrightFarms is also issuing a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of four salad kit products (shown below) from its Selinsgrove, PA facility.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled products were distributed to retailers in seven states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The products come in 4-oz, clear, plastic containers. Information about the “best by” date, UPC, and facility code can be found at the bottom of the package. Pictures to assist customers in identifying the recalled products are found at the end of this announcement.

  • Product: BrightFarms Baby Spinach · Ounce: 3.5oz · UPC Codes: 8-57062-00492-3 · Facility Code: PEN8 · Best-By Date: 1/11/2024, 1/13/2024, 1/18/2024, 1/20/2024
  • Product: BrightFarms Mediterranean Crunch Kit · Ounce: 6.35oz · UPC Codes: 8-50051-82501-1 · Facility Code: PEN4 · Best-By Date: 1/15/2024, 1/20/2024
  • Product: BrightFarms Chickpea Caesar Crunch Kit · Ounce: 6.50oz · UPC Codes: 8-57062-00415-2 · Facility Code: PEN4 · Best-By Date: 1/15/2024, 1/20/2024
  • Product: BrightFarms Bacon Ranch Crunch Kit · Ounce: 6.70oz · UPC Codes: 8-57062-00416-9 · Facility Code: PEN4 · Best-By Date: 1/15/2024
  • Product: BrightFarms Southwest Chipotle · Ounce: 5.85oz · UPC Codes: 8-50051-82500-4 · Facility Code: PEN4 · Best-By Date: 1/15/2024

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recall of spinach was initiated after routine sampling conducted by Element Farms yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes . Due to potential cross-contamination at BrightFarms’s Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania facility, BrightFarms is also recalling a limited quantity of four select salad kit products. No positive test results or reported illness have been received on those products, to date.

As a result of today’s recall, the company has temporarily suspended distribution of Element Farms grown spinach.

Retailers have been instructed to remove all recalled products from store shelves. Consumers who have purchased the affected products should not consume the products and discard them or present a photo of the product or receipt to their place of purchase for a full refund and then discard.

Consumers with questions are encouraged to call 1-866-857-8745 between 8:00am-6:00pm EDT or email [email protected] with the subject line: Recall.

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

Check your product

The notice names 11 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

UPC / barcode

Read the twelve digits under the barcode on the package.

  • 857062004923
  • 850051825011
  • 857062004152
  • 857062004169
  • 850051825004

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 4 oz
  • 3.5 oz
  • 6.35 oz
  • 6.50 oz
  • 6.70 oz
  • 5.85 oz

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Listeria

BrightFarms — Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

  1. Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.
  2. If anyone in the household is pregnant, over 65 or immunocompromised, call a clinician for advice even if nobody feels ill. That conversation is quick and it is the whole point of a Listeria recall.
  3. Photograph the label, the lot code and the date mark before the pack leaves the house — that picture is what a refund claim runs on.
  4. Throw it out in a sealed bag, or return it to the store. Either is accepted; what matters is that nobody else eats it.

How to get your money back

Food recalls carry a full refund, and in the United States you usually do not need the receipt or the packaging.

  • Take the product, or your photo of the label, to the customer service desk of the store where you bought it. Nearly every national grocer refunds recalled food on the spot.
  • Bought it online? Open the order in your account and use the refund option; marketplace sellers are required to honour a federal recall.
  • If the store refuses, contact the recalling company using the details on this page. The firm, not the shop, carries the cost of a recall.
  • If you have a loyalty card, the retailer can look the purchase up in your history — Kroger, Costco and Walmart all do this routinely.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who have purchased the affected products should not consume the products and discard them or present a photo of the product or receipt to their place of purchase for a full refund and then discard.

Company contact: BrightFarms — Consumers: 1-866-857-8745, [email protected]

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was BrightFarms fresh produce recalled?

Potential Foodborne Illness-Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: UPC 857062004923, 850051825011, 857062004152. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

What should I do with it right now?

Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers who have purchased the affected products should not consume the products and discard them or present a photo of the product or receipt to their place of purchase for a full refund and then discard.

Which states were affected?

The notice lists Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.

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