No Marylanders have died from an outbreak of spinach-borne E. coli, but state health officials are monitoring the situation, and bags of prepackaged spinach have been yanked from store shelves across the state.
“To date no Maryland cases have been identified as part of this outbreak,” said Kareb Black, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in Maryland.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers not to eat bagged fresh spinach after 50 people in eight states became ill, and one Wisconsin resident died. Another eight people developed a serious form of kidney failure that can result in death. Evidence collected by the FDA pointed to the bagged fresh spinach, according to the FDA news release.
Though no cases affected Marylanders, grocers are pulling bagged salads from their shelves.
“We took down all of our bagged spinach, all of our bagged salad products this morning,” said Jon Crot, produce director for My Organic Marketplace. “We?re not going to take any chances.”No warnings were issued about unpackaged or frozen spinach.
Croft suggested the use of sewage sludge to fertilize fields may be part of the problem, especially as FDA officials said the E. coli cannot be washed off. “It?s anybody?s guess what goes on in the agricultural industry. It could be the fertilizer, it could be hygiene of the workers, who knows.”
Croft was confident organic producers would be vindicated once the federal investigation concludes. Though organic gardeners use no pesticides or fungicides, he said they also don?t inject sewage sludge into their fields.
E. coli ? associated with cattle and fertilizer ? is known to cause diarrhea, often bloody, and in severe cases, kidney failure. Most healthy adults recover completely within a week, but small children and the elderly are most at risk for more severe symptoms.
States that have reported illnesses as of Friday included: Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.
Further information on the person who died was not available, and no specific growing region, grower, brand or supplier was implicated.
Amy Philpott, a spokeswoman for the United Fresh Produce Association, said that it?s possible the cause of the outbreak won?t be known for some time, even after its source is determined.
“Our industry is very concerned,” she said. “We?re taking this very seriously.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
