lēf Farms Salad Greens - Recall cancellation due to false positive

United States

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that a laboratory error incorrectly caused last week’s recall announcement concerning lēf Farms “Spice” Packaged Salad Greens. The products from lēf Farms are safe and the recall has been canceled. On May 5, a press release was issued regarding a potential contamination of Escherichia coli O157 bacteria of a specific lot of lēf Farms “Spice” Packaged Salad Greens. With the recall canceled, lēf Farms “Spice” is returning to store shelves in Hannaford and Market Basket in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. There is no longer any need for consumers who have purchased the lēf Farms “Spice” products to discard them or seek refunds from their place of purchase.

Upon being informed, lēf Farms voluntarily initiated a recall of the potentially affected products. Subsequent whole genome sequencing was conducted, which determined that the control sample and the lēf Farms sample were nearly identical, indicating that the initial lab results were inaccurate due to a contamination error within the lab itself. “I wish to apologize to lēf Farms, their customers and the public for this unfortunate event,” said Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) Director Tricia Tilley. While this situation is unprecedented, the staff will embrace all corrective actions to ensure it will not occur again.

The PHL has not experienced a false positive from routine testing that resulted in a voluntary recall in more than twenty years. DHHS is working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to confirm the source of the contamination and will implement necessary protocol changes to ensure it is not repeated. DHHS has been in communication with lēf Farms, the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, and the FDA. Based on the results of the investigation of the contaminated sample, the PHL will implement corrective actions to protect consumers, manufacturers and food producers, and the general public. This is a correction to the press release issued on May 4, 2023 with the headline: “lēf Farms Recalls "Spice" Packaged Salad Greens Because of Possible Health Risk.” Original Press Release.

Company name: lēf Farms
Brand name: lēf Farms
Product recalled: “Spice” packaged salad greens
Reason of the recall: Recall Cancellation Due to False Positive
FDA Recall date: May 12, 2023

Source: www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/correction-notice-new-hampshire-laboratory-error-incorrectly-resulted-recall-lef-farms-spice