Routine testing that turned up traces of Salmonella has prompted a California spinach grower to recall more than 8,000 boxes of its bagged fresh spinach. In announcing the massive recall, King City-based Metz Fresh said no illnesses had been reported from its products.

The recall includes 10 and 16 oz. bags, 4 lb.  cartons, and cartons that contain four 2.5 lb. bags. All have the tracking codes 12208114, 12208214, or 12208314. The fresh spinach was distributed throughout the continental United States and also in Canada. Consumers are being urged by Metz Fresh to either discard the packages or return them to stores for a refund. Consumers with questions about the recall should call 831-386-1018.

“Nothing is more important to Metz Fresh than the safety of our consumers, period,” said Andrew Cumming, President of Metz Fresh. “As soon as we learned of the presumptive positive test, we directed all customers to hold all boxes of the spinach affected as a precaution. Now, with this positive test confirmation, there is no question that we would recall and destroy all spinach bearing these three codes.“

The positive test came during independent lab testing Metz Fresh conducts on all of its products. Through its labeling and numbering system, Metz Fresh has already tracked, located and put ‘holds’ on the vast majority of the cartons of spinach affected. That spinach will not be released into the marketplace.

While the positive test came from only one sample of many on three packing lines, Metz Fresh has, as a precaution, chosen to recall all of the spinach from the ‘field lot’ packed that day on all three lines.