Baby Arugula Recalled Over Salmonella Contamination

Recall in Florida follows several recalls of food products and outbreaks of Salmonella in multiple states.

A pile of fresh arugula leaves in a stock photo. Zoeytoja/Shutterstock

Florida-based Green Life Farms has recalled batches of baby arugula amid fears of bacterial contamination by Salmonella.

The company recalled 4-ounce containers of baby arugula with the lot code LW15124, sold at Publix supermarkets, according to a June 8 FDA notice.

The products were sold from May 31 with a sell-by date of June 15. They were deemed to be at risk of Salmonella contamination following routine testing by Green Life Farms.

“Symptoms of Salmonella may include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and usually lasts four to seven days,” the notice said.

“Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections.”

The company claims it took “immediate corrective action” after the Salmonella infection was identified in one of the harvests. Additional harvests of baby arugula remain unaffected, it noted.

Green Life Farms urged customers who have bought the item with the affected lot code to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. People with questions can call the company at 888-213-9603 or email [email protected].

Publix announced the recall on its website.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled multiple vegetable products so far this month, citing potential contamination by Salmonella.

On June 3, Michigan-based UBC Food Distributors recalled black pepper products. Concerns about the recalled product being contaminated arose after a sample tested by authorities returned positive for the bacteria.

On June 1, the FDA recalled batches of cucumbers sold by Florida-based Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc., citing similar concerns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella causes roughly 1.35 million infections annually in the United States, with 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths. Food is the most common source.

Symptoms typically begin six hours to six days after getting infected and can last for four to seven days. Most people recover without any specific treatment.

In the United States, salmonella has been known to make people ill since 1885, and it is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths from food poisoning, according to the FDA. It is the second leading cause of foodborne illness after the norovirus.

Four Outbreaks in 2024

The CDC has listed four Salmonella outbreaks since the beginning of the year—three in food items such as cucumbers, fresh basil, and charcuterie meats, and the fourth in backyard poultry.

The investigation on charcuterie meats has been closed. The outbreak resulted in 104 illnesses and 27 hospitalizations across 33 states. No deaths were reported.

The recalled products linked to this outbreak were sold nationwide under many brands including Aldi, Beretta, Black Bear, Busseto, Culinary Tour, Dietz and Watson, Lidl, Publix, Salumi Artigianali, with a best-before date through July 6.

The remaining three are active investigations. The outbreak related to fresh basil has resulted in 12 illnesses and one hospitalization in seven states. Two brands of basil were recalled.

The backyard poultry outbreak affected 109 individuals, putting 33 people in hospitals in 28 states. The CDC advised people always to wash their hands with soap and water immediately after touching backyard poultry.

“Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry, and don’t eat or drink around them. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick,” the agency advised.

“Keep your backyard poultry and the supplies you use to care for them (like feed containers and shoes you wear in the coop) outside of the house. You should also clean the supplies outside the house.”

The outbreak involving cucumbers caused 162 people to become ill and 54 were hospitalized. The outbreak is spread across 25 states and the District of Columbia. The company selling the cucumbers has recalled the items.

The CDC noted that the actual number of sick people in the cucumber outbreak could be higher than reported since many people recover from the illness without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.

Moreover, illnesses usually take some time to be reported, meaning recent infections won’t be reflected in the data. It typically takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.

In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a policy that would declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw, breaded stuffed chicken products if it exceeds a certain threshold.

“FSIS will carry out verification procedures, including sampling and testing of the raw incoming chicken component of these products prior to stuffing and breading, to ensure producing establishments control Salmonella in these products,” the agency stated.

“If the chicken component in these products does not meet this standard, the product lot represented by the sampled component would not be permitted to be used to produce the final raw breaded stuffed chicken products.”