Dead Bat In Walmart-Sold Salad Prompts Florida Recall

Floridians who purchase pre-packaged salads may want to check their crispers for a particular brand. Fresh Express has issued a recall of certain brands of salad after two people were recommended for post-exposure rabies treatment after a dead bat was found in a bag of salad they bought in a Florida grocery store, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The two people reported eating some of the salad before finding the bat. The bat was sent to the CDC rabies lab for testing, however health officials could not definitely rule out whether or not the bat had rabies due to its "deteriorated condition." The CDC noted that transmission of rabies by eating a rabid animal is extremely uncommon, and the virus does not survive very long outside of the infected animal.

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While the risk of transmission in this case is considered very low, it isn't zero and so the CDC recommended that the two begin post-exposure treatment. Both people reported being in good health and the CDC said it is not aware of bat material being found in any other packaged salad.

The discovery of the dead bat has led to a recall by Fresh Express. According to the FDA, the company announced a precautionary recall of of a limited number of cases of Organic Marketside Spring Mix. The item subject to the recall is 5 oz. Organic Marketside Spring Mix marketed in a clear container with production code G089B19 and best-if-used-by date of APR 14, 2017 located on the front label, and UPC code 6 8113132897 5 located on the bottom of the container.

The recalled salads were distributed to Walmart stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Walmart has already removed the product from stores shelves.

Consumers who may purchased the recalled product are asked to discard it. A refund is available where purchased or by calling the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center toll-free at (800) 242-5472 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. eastern time.

No other products are affected by the recall.

Story by Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff)

Image via Pixabay