Error by New Hampshire lab causes incorrect recall announcement for salad brand
Cancelled recall notice was directed at Hannaford, Market Basket supermarkets in ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A laboratory error incorrectly caused a recall announcement for a brand of salad greens, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said.
The products from lēf Farms are safe and the recall has been canceled, the department said in a news release Thursday.
The May 5 recall notice regarded a "potential" E. coli bacteria contamination of a specific lot of the company's "Spice" packaged salad greens. When it heard the news, the Loudon-based hydroponics company voluntarily initiated a recall of potentially affected products, the department said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE TO VOTE ON BILL TO LEGALIZE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA
The recall notice was directed at Hannaford and Market Basket supermarkets in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
A Hannaford Supermarket is pictured on Oct. 14, 2020. A lab in New Hampshire incorrectly caused a recall announcement for lēf Farms salad greens at Hannaford and Market Basket supermarkets. The lab tested for a "potential" E. coli bacteria contamination. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Further analysis determined "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," the department said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST AMENDMENT LAWSUIT BETWEEN NEW HAMPSHIRE BAKERY, TOWN ZONING ORDINANCE TO BE RESOLVED BY JUDGE
"I wish to apologize to lēf Farms, their customers and the public for this unfortunate event," Division of Public Health Services Director Tricia Tilley said.
"While this situation is unprecedented, our dedicated staff will embrace all corrective actions to ensure it will not occur again," she added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The health and human services department said it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to confirm the source of the contamination and will implement necessary protocol changes.
"We are relieved to confirm that this was merely a lab mistake, and our product was never at risk," said Steve Platt, CEO of BrightFarms, the parent company of lēf Farms.