Fresh Express Salad Recall Issued After Dead Bat Found In Bag Sold At Walmart

A recall has been issued for bags of Fresh Express salad sold at Walmart stores, following a report that indicates a dead bat was found in one of the lettuce mixes.

The Walmart Fresh Express Organic Marketside Spring Mix salad recall was announced by the FDA on April 8, following at least one consumer complaint that indicates the remains of a dead animal were found in a bag they were consuming.

Immediately following the report, the manufacturing company Fresh Express contacted the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to open an investigation.

After analyzing the animal remains, it was determined that a bat had somehow entered the salad product bag.

Although regulators have not definitively determined how or when the bat entered the spring mix product, officials believe it must have occurred sometime during the manufacturing or packaging process.

CDC officials reported on April 8 that the remains of the spring mix product and the bat were collected and sent to the CDC laboratory for rabies testing, due to bats within the United States having been found to be infected with the disease. The CDC reported that due to the deteriorated condition of the bat, officials were unable to determine whether it was infected with the rabies disease and highly recommended the two consumers to seek immediate post-exposure rabies treatment out of precaution.

The recall includes Organic Marketside Spring Mix packaged in 5 ounce clear containers containing the production code of G089B19 and UPC code of 6 8113132897 5. The products were marked with a “Best-If-Used-By” date of April 14, 2017.

The recalled spring mix products were manufactured by Fresh Express, of Orlando, Florida. They were distributed to Walmart stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

According to the recall, all impacted products have been removed from store shelves in all receiving Walmart locations. However, customers are being asked to check their salad mix inventory to ensure they do not have any of the recalled products.

Customers are being asked to stop consuming the recalled products immediately and to discard of them and contact Fresh Express Consumer Response Center toll-free at 800-242-5472 for information on how to receive a full refund.

The CDC announced that individuals who have consumed the recalled products but did not identify any type of foreign animal remains are not at risk and do not need to contact their health department. Customers who have found animal remains should contact their primary healthcare provider and their local health department for immediate evaluation.