Fresh & Easy Recalls Bagged Spinach

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets Inc. is recalling a brand of its bagged spinach after one of the bags tested positive for a bacterium that can cause serious illnesses and miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

The bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, was found in a 12-ounce bag of Fresh & Easy washed spinach with an expiration date of Oct. 16, according to a statement from the grocery chain.

The product, with barcode 20001124, has been sold in California, Arizona and Nevada. The statement, which was released on Friday, said no illnesses associated with this product have been reported.

A random sample test detected the organism, which can "cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," according to the statement.

Short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea can occur in healthy individuals.

Consumers who purchased this product should throw away the spinach immediately, according to the statement, and can receive a full refund by either returning the empty product bag or presenting the receipt of the recalled product as proof of purchase to any Fresh & Easy store.