Amy’s Kitchen and Wegmans recall frozen spinach products for Listeria risk

Amy’s Kitchen, the popular natural foods brand, and grocery chain Wegmans are recalling thousands of products containing spinach that may be contaminated with listeria. So far, no illnesses have been linked to either the Wegmans or Amy's Kitchen recalls.  

A pair of recalls involving frozen spinach are affecting thousands of products at grocery stores in North America. 

Amy’s Kitchen, a popular organic prepared foods company, is recalling packages of frozen lasagna, pizza, pasta, and more containing spinach because they could be contaminated with the bacteria listeria, the company said in a joint release with the Food and Drug Administration.

The recall includes approximately 73,897 cases of a wide range of Amy’s frozen products manufactured between Jan. 21, 2015, and March 14, 2015, and shipped to stores nationwide in the United States and Canada.

Affected Amy’s products include: Vegetable Lasagna, Tofu Vegetable Lasagna, Garden Vegetable Lasagna, Tofu Scramble, Enchilada Verde Whole Meal, Spinach Pizza, Brown Rice & Vegetables Bowl, Stuffed Pasta Shells Bowl, Gluten Free Tofu Scramble, and Gluten Free Dairy Free Vegetable Lasagna, sold in various package sizes.

The recall was issued after an organic spinach supplier notified Amy’s that it may have received a spinach shipment tainted with listeria, a bactertia that health officials have linked to illnesses and deaths, particularly in young children and the elderly. So far, Amy’s has received no illness complaints linked to the recall.

In a separate notice issued Monday, supermarket chain Wegmans recalled approximately 12,540 packages of Wegmans Organic Food You Feel Good About Just Picked Frozen Spinach, also for possible listeria contamination. That product was sold in 85 of the company’s stores in  New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts between Jan. 27 and March 21, 2015. Affected packages have “Best Used By” dates of either Jan. 26, 2017 or Feb. 2, 2017. Wegmans plans to notify customers who used their Shoppers Club Card to buy the product with an automated phone call.

It’s unclear if the two recalls stemmed from the same spinach supplier. In both cases, customers who bought the recalled products should return them to stores for exchanges or full refunds.  For Amy’s, customers with questions can call  (707) 781-7535 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time. For Wegmans, customers can call (855) 934-3663 Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Listeria has been a frequent recall culprit, particularly for fruit and vegetable products. In December, listeria in pre-packaged caramel apples was linked to 28 illnesses and four deaths in 10 states. Earlier this month, the Texas Department of Heath linked five illnesses and three deaths to listeria found in ice cream from Blue Bell Creameries.

For full lists of recalled products, visit the Amy's recall notice on the FDA's website here and the Wegmans recall notice here.