Sludge Watch ==> California - More contaminated spinach

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Do you think it could be the sewage sludge effluent they use to irrigate the 
crops in Salinas?
The so-called reclaimed water from the Monterey sewage treatment plant is 
forced through a sand  filter - sometimes forced through at rates that 
exceed the filter's engineered capacity - and then it is put into a pond and 
tested, and even if they find Ecoli they blame it on nesting migratory birds 
and then send it more than 20 miles through a pipe to spray irrigate 
spinach, lettuce, and strawberries...without further testing of what comes 
out of the pipe.

Oh...and tractors and farm equipment plow into this pipeline that delivers 
the water to the tender veggie fields at frequent intervals, rupturing the 
pipeline..but these accidents are undocumented.

Gosh - do you think there might be spinach contamination from that reclaimed 
sewage effluent?
........................................................


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A California produce company recalled bagged fresh 
spinach Wednesday after it tested positive for salmonella.


Metz Fresh said more than 90 percent of the recalled spinach was on hold and 
would not be released.

There were no immediate reports of illness linked to the tainted spinach, 
distributed by Metz Fresh LLC of King City, California.

The recall comes nearly a year after an outbreak of another pathogen, E. 
coli, in fresh spinach killed three people and sickened 200 more.

The recalled spinach was distributed throughout the 48 states and Canada and 
sold in both retail and food service packages.

It covers 8,118 cases of spinach, although the company said more than 90 
percent of that was on hold and would not be released.  Dr. Sanjay Gupta 
explains the latest recall. »

Recall info
Metz Fresh LLC of King City, California, is recalling 8,118 cases of fresh 
bagged spinach after a sample tested positive for salmonella.

The recall covers 10- and 16-ounce bags, as well as 4-pound cartons and 
cartons that contain four 2.5-pound bags, with the following tracking codes: 
12208114, 12208214 and 12208314.

Consumers with questions can contact Metz Fresh at 831-386-1018.

Metz Fresh
While only a single sample from one of three packing lines tested positive 
for salmonella, the company said it moved to recall all the spinach packed 
that same day as a precaution.

The recall covers 10- and 16-ounce bags, as well as 4-pound cartons and 
cartons that contain four 2.5-pound bags, with the following tracking codes: 
12208114, 12208214 and 12208314.

Consumers with questions can contact Metz Fresh at 831-386-1018.

Last year's E. coli outbreak prompted the Food and Drug Administration to 
warn Americans not to eat fresh bagged spinach.

It later lifted that warning after tracing the contamination to spinach 
processed and packed by Natural Selection Foods LLC in San Juan Bautista, 
California.

Your Health Tools
MayoClinic.com: Health Library
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The incident prompted stricter monitoring procedures by growers and 
processors and stepped-up inspections by California health officials.


Salmonella sickens about 40,000 people a year in the U.S. and kills about 
600. It can cause diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Most cases of salmonella poisoning are caused by undercooked eggs and 
chicken