Australians are being urged not to seek out contaminated baby spinach products for a recreational high after more than 130 people who ate a range of fresh food items suffered symptoms including hallucinations and delirium.
Authorities were on Sunday night testing the weed believed to be responsible for the widespread recall of products containing spinach thought to have come from a farm in Victoria.
People are being urged to check and dump any recalled products, including salad and stir-fry mixes, that have been sold at Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Costco. Food Standards Australia New Zealand is coordinating the recall of products.
Symptoms can be severe and include delirium or confusion, hallucinations, dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, flushed face, blurred vision, dry mouth and skin, and fever.
The Victorian grower at the centre of the recall, Riviera Farms, said testing was under way on weed plants “which can have health consequences if consumed”.
It is believed the weeds were harvested alongside the baby spinach and processed as such.
Dr Brett Summerell, chief scientist at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, said it was hard to distinguish between many plant species when they were small. He suspected toxic plants including nightshades could be to blame.
“There are lots of plants that could do this – lots of weeds that are relatives to potato and tomato,” he said.
“This is likely to be a nightshade. When young, they are just a few dark green leaves which is probably not that much different to spinach. You’re harvesting all these leafy greens now at a very young age, sometimes it can be quite difficult [to identify].”
Summerell said farmers were facing the extra challenge of an explosion of weeds right across the country after months of rain and floods.
“We’re just seeing lots and lots of weed infestations. When you have floods and things moving things around, it can be sometimes quite hard to control.”
Riviera Farms said it was working to identify which plant had caused the symptoms “and how we can make sure nothing like this weed contamination can occur again”, a farm spokesperson said.
Michael Coote, chief executive of vegetable peak industry body Ausveg, said the weed that had ended up in the spinach products was a “leafy” green plant.
“It is another piece of plant matter from a weed that has been found on this particular farm that has made it through the harvest and packing process and then into products,” he said. “It’s not the spinach itself that is causing these health issues.”
Summerell warned people not to go searching for the contaminated products or pick and eat weeds they could not identify in search of a cheap high.
“People might be tempted to go out picking weeds thinking that they’ll get some sort of high [but] it’s really important to remember yes, there might be a hallucinogenic side to this, but there’s a whole lot of really horrible health issues,” he said.
“Whether it’s a mushroom or whether it’s the sorts of weeds, if you don’t know what you’re eating, don’t eat it.”
Almost 90 people in New South Wales had reported symptoms after consuming baby spinach by Sunday morning, with at least 33 people seeking medical attention.
A child who was admitted to hospital in Queensland on Saturday night before being released on Sunday was one of 26 possible cases in that state so far.
And at least 20 Victorians have gone to emergency departments after consuming baby spinach.
Australia’s assistant health minister, Ged Kearney, said the federal government was “communicating frequently with the regulators” charged with investigating the matter.
Products recalled so far include:
Investigators from the food standards authority believe the spinach was contaminated with “unsafe plant material”.
A spokesperson said the authority had been “advised it is likely there is one source of the contamination and is working through the supply chain with relevant jurisdictions to ensure any other affected products are identified”.
Anyone worried they may have been affected is being urged to seek medical attention.
