Monday, October 10, 2016

Micro Greens Recalled in CO for Salmonella Positive Sample

A Colorado company is recalling Organic Micro Greens sold at Whole Foods.  The recall was issued after FDA tested and found Salmonella is a sample of the product.

So what are microgreens?  They are very young plants of various vegetables, such as kale, spinach, beets, lettuce, etc, that are 7 to 14 days after germination.  Similar to bean sprouts, although sprouts are harvested 2 days after germination, so microgreens in comparison will have leaves and roots whereas sprouts will not.   However like sprouts, micro greens can be a higher risk for organisms like Salmonella.  The reason is that the conditions for growth of the micro greens will support organisms such as Salmonella.

FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm524638.htm
Osage Gardens Inc. Recalls Osage Gardens Organic 2oz Micro Greens Because of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
October 7, 2016

Contact
Consumers ared McDermott 970-876-0668

Announcement
View Product Photos

New Castle, CO - Osage Gardens Inc. is recalling Osage Gardens Organic 2oz Micro Greens, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Osage Gardens Organic 2oz Micro Greens was distributed to Whole Foods stores in Colorado and Kansas. The Osage Gardens Organic 2oz Micro Greens product is packed in a clear plastic clamshell and has a label on the bottom with a UPC Code 709376615008 and affected product are dated with a Julian codes from 266 to 279’.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recall was a result of a routine sampling by the FDA which revealed that the finished products contained the bacteria. Osage Gardens Inc. has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and Osage Gardens Inc. continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.

Consumers who have purchased Osage Gardens Organic 2oz Micro Greens are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Osage Gardens Inc. at 970-876-0668 Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm.


NPR - The Salt
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/08/29/160274163/introducing-microgreens-younger-and-maybe-more-nutritious-vegetables
 Introducing Microgreens: Younger, And Maybe More Nutritious, Vegetables
 August 30, 2012 2:52 PM ET
Eliza Barclay

We've come to accept the baby-fication of our vegetables – baby spinach, baby lettuce, and baby squash prized for their tenderness and cute size have staked out territory in the produce section of many a grocery store.

Now, growers (and a few inventive chefs) have decided we need vegetables that are even more juvenile than babies — seedlings so small, and so young, they're called microgreens. The advantages of these tiny leaves less than 14 days old are many, their proponents say. They make vibrantly hued garnishes to salads, sandwiches and soups. And whether they're We've come to accept the baby-fication of our vegetables – baby spinach, baby lettuce, and baby squash prized for their tenderness and cute size have staked out territory in the produce section of many a grocery store.
Now, growers (and a few inventive chefs) have decided we need vegetables that are even more juvenile than babies — seedlings so small, and so young, they're called microgreens. The advantages of these tiny leaves less than 14 days old are many, their proponents say. They make vibrantly hued garnishes to salads, sandwiches and soups. And whether they're spinach, pea, beet or purple mustard, microgreens are rumored to pack even more nutrients that their adult versions.

Now it seems there's some scientific muster to back that claim. Gene Lester, a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and his colleagues at University of Maryland, College Park, have conducted the first scientific analysis of nutrients in microgreens. The results, Lester tells The Salt, "totally knocked me over."

The researchers looked at four groups of vitamins and other phytochemicals – including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene — in 25 varieties of microgreens. They found that leaves from almost all of the microgreens had four to six times more nutrients than the mature leaves of the same plant. But there was variation among them – red cabbage was highest in vitamin C, for instance, while the green daikon radish microgreens had the most vitamin E.

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