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E. coli outbreak traced to organic spinach; product was distributed nationwide

November 16, 2021 from the NBC Los Angeles:

"Officials are investigating a new E. Coli O157:H7 outbreak that is linked to two brands of prepackaged baby spinach. The FDA is investigating farms linked to the spinach.

"'One case reported eating Josie’s Organics organic baby spinach purchased from HyVee, and the other case reported Fresh Thyme organic baby spinach purchased from Fresh Thyme. Both brands are produced by Braga Fresh,' according to Minnesota public health officials.

"The outbreak spans seven states so far and has sickened at least 10 people. Of eight people with the information available, two have been so sick that they had to be admitted to hospitals. No deaths have been reported, according to an outbreak announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Josie’s Organics reports distributing the spinach nationwide to retailers. A package of the implicated spinach had a best-by date of Oct. 23. The CDC did not report whether other best-by dates are involved. The CDC did not post any product photographs.

"As of this morning the Food and Drug Administration had not reported any recalls related to the outbreak. It is not uncommon for there to be no recalls during outbreaks related to leafy greens because of their short shelf life and the length of time it takes to identify an outbreak.

FDA notice is here