Dole recalls bagged salad for salmonella risk

MONTEREY, Calif. — Dole Food Co. said late Saturday that its fresh vegetables division is recalling 756 cases of bagged salad, because they could be contaminated with salmonella.

The bags of Seven Lettuces salad are stamped with a use-by date of April 11, 2012, UPC code 71430 01057 and product codes 0577N089112A and 0577N089112B, the company said.

The product code and use-by date are located in the upper right-hand corner of the package, while the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode.

The salads were distributed in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Dole said that it’s coordinating with regulatory officials and that no illnesses have been reported.

The company said the bags are being recalled, because a random sample tested by the State of New York came back positive for Salmonella. No other Dole salads are included in the recall.

Consumers should throw out the recalled bags. Dole said it’s also contacting retailers to make sure the bags in question are not available for sale.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.