Four supermarket chains in Australia made a “recall” of spinach last Friday (16), after more than a hundred consumers reported that they had hallucinations and fever when ingesting a batch of the vegetable in recent days. More than 50 people sought medical help, including a child.
The producer of the vegetable, Riviera Farms, in the state of Victoria, said it suspected that this batch of spinach had been contaminated by a weed. She also said that she will investigate the case, testing the infected plants, so that this does not happen again.
The Australian Food Regulatory Agency urged consumers to throw away the product immediately or return it for a refund. Australia’s deputy health minister, Ged Kearney, said the federal government was in contact with regulators tasked with investigating the matter.
As Darren Roberts, a doctor at the New South Wales Poison Information Center, told the local press, those affected “are unable to see straight, are confused and have hallucinations”. “We’re talking about scary hallucinations; nothing that’s fun.” Other symptoms are a racing heart, dilated pupils, blurry vision, and dry skin and mouth.
The spinach poisoning is suspected to be caused by plants in the Solanaceae family, which includes belladonna, lemongrass and mandrake root, according to the Victoria state health department. That is, the symptoms are not due to the spinach itself.
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