Weed responsible for hallucinogenic spinach recall identified as thornapple

The weed responsible for contaminating baby spinach on a Victorian farmhouse has been identified as spruce - a type of nightshade.
Riviera Farms on Wednesday night said that by working with experts from the Victoria Department of Health, "we have confirmed that the spinach was contaminated with a weed called thornapple".
The scientific name is Datura stramonium. It is also known as jimsonweed.
"Investigations did not identify any other chemicals, herbicides or other types of potential contaminants," a carrier said. word of Riviera.
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"As per our initial advisory dated December 15, no other Riviera Farms products have been affected by this weed. As a precaution, neighboring spinach crops are being destroyed.
Authorities said the recalled spinach products caused delusions and hallucinations. More than 160 people suffered from symptoms, many of whom sought medical treatment. The recall initially targeted New South Wales.
NSW's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) notes that "Spruce is a vigorous growing plant which can poison people and animals".
Eating the plant may cause: thirst, dilated pupils, high temperatures, weak or rapid pulse, incoherence or hallucinations, vomiting, breathing problems and seizures , specifies the DPI. Touching the plant may cause dermatitis, nausea and headaches in some people.
Riviera Farms said it conducts its own audit of the farm and the weed "which will inform our application to obtain recertification and start production again".
"The moment Riviera Farms baby spinach is reintroduced to the market, it will be the Australia's safest and most audited supply of spinach," the company said.
"As a company that provides quality products without incident since the 1880s, we are confident that we can quickly restore supply and thank our customers for their strong support.”
Dr Brett Summerell, chief scientist at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, told Guardian Australia over the weekend that many plant species are difficult to tell apart when they are small. He suspected that poisonous plants, including nightshades, could be the source of baby spinach contamination.
"There are many plants that could do this - lots of weeds related to potato and tomato," he said. "It's probably a nightshade."
During last week, shoppers were urged to check and discard all recalled products, including salads and stir-fry mixes, which had been sold at Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Costco supermarkets.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand coordinated the recall. Fsanz announced on Monday that "all affected products, related to baby spinach from Riviera Farms, have been identified and recalled".
The weeds are believed to have been harvested with the baby spinach and treated as such.

Food & Recipes Dec 21, 2022 0 36 Add to Reading List

Weed responsible for hallucinogenic spinach recall identified as thornapple

The weed responsible for contaminating baby spinach on a Victorian farmhouse has been identified as spruce - a type of nightshade.

Riviera Farms on Wednesday night said that by working with experts from the Victoria Department of Health, "we have confirmed that the spinach was contaminated with a weed called thornapple".

The scientific name is Datura stramonium. It is also known as jimsonweed.

"Investigations did not identify any other chemicals, herbicides or other types of potential contaminants," a carrier said. word of Riviera.

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"As per our initial advisory dated December 15, no other Riviera Farms products have been affected by this weed. As a precaution, neighboring spinach crops are being destroyed.

Authorities said the recalled spinach products caused delusions and hallucinations. More than 160 people suffered from symptoms, many of whom sought medical treatment. The recall initially targeted New South Wales.

NSW's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) notes that "Spruce is a vigorous growing plant which can poison people and animals".

Eating the plant may cause: thirst, dilated pupils, high temperatures, weak or rapid pulse, incoherence or hallucinations, vomiting, breathing problems and seizures , specifies the DPI. Touching the plant may cause dermatitis, nausea and headaches in some people.

Riviera Farms said it conducts its own audit of the farm and the weed "which will inform our application to obtain recertification and start production again".

"The moment Riviera Farms baby spinach is reintroduced to the market, it will be the Australia's safest and most audited supply of spinach," the company said.

"As a company that provides quality products without incident since the 1880s, we are confident that we can quickly restore supply and thank our customers for their strong support.”

Dr Brett Summerell, chief scientist at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, told Guardian Australia over the weekend that many plant species are difficult to tell apart when they are small. He suspected that poisonous plants, including nightshades, could be the source of baby spinach contamination.

"There are many plants that could do this - lots of weeds related to potato and tomato," he said. "It's probably a nightshade."

During last week, shoppers were urged to check and discard all recalled products, including salads and stir-fry mixes, which had been sold at Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Costco supermarkets.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand coordinated the recall. Fsanz announced on Monday that "all affected products, related to baby spinach from Riviera Farms, have been identified and recalled".

The weeds are believed to have been harvested with the baby spinach and treated as such.