Salinas firm recalls spinach found with salmonella

A Salinas, Calif., company is recalling 1,715 cartons of recently harvested spinach after discovering salmonella, the California Department of Public Health said.

The spinach was harvested Sept. 1-3 and packed in 12 to 24 bundles in each wire-bound crate or reusable plastic container.

Distributor Ippolito International sold the greens to retail, food-service and wholesale buyers. The recall affects 1,515 cartons shipped under the Queen Victoria label to Canada, California and 11 other states. An additional 200 cartons under the Tubby label were sent to California and New York.

No related illnesses have been reported, the Department of Public Health said.

The company said it intended to destroy any potentially tainted spinach that was returned by consumers.

“Food safety and public health are our foremost priorities,” Ippolito General Manager Butch Corda said. “This is a first for us, and even that is too many. We’ll work diligently to minimize the likelihood of this occurring.”

Salmonella was discovered in Ippolito’s spinach during routine random testing in Michigan by the state’s Department of Agriculture. After being collected and analyzed by the department, the spinach tested positive and was traced back to Ippolito.

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tiffany.hsu@latimes.com