Washington, D.C.
After warning consumers last week to avoid bagged organic spinach, the Food and Drug Administration this week expanded its warning to include all fresh spinach. The move came after spinach tainted with E. coli bacteria was blamed for more than 100 cases of food poisoning in 20 states, including one that proved fatal to a 77-year-old Wisconsin woman. The cause of the outbreak was not yet certain, though officials were looking at irrigation systems in California’s Salinas Valley. Leafy vegetables are the second most common source of E. coli infections, which can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. Consumer groups have called for a new federal inspection service to monitor the produce supply.
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