Fresh Express Recalled After Dead Bat Found in Salad

Fresh Express announced a precautionary recall to a limited number of cases of its Organic Marketside Spring Mix after two people in Florida say they found a dead bat in their leafy greens.

The company stated that the salads were distributed only to Walmart stores located in the southeastern United States and have been pulled from shelves, the company stated, according to NPR. No other Marketside salads are connected to the recall.

"Two people in Florida reported eating some of the salad before the bat was found," read a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is helping to investigate the incident along with the Florida Department of Health and other agencies.

"The bat was sent to the CDC rabies lab for laboratory testing because bats in the United States sometimes have been found to have this disease. The deteriorated condition of the bat did not allow for CDC to definitively rule out whether this bat had rabies. Transmission of rabies by eating a rabid animal is extremely uncommon, and the virus does not survive very long outside of the infected animal," the CDC statement continued.

Fresh Express said it its own statement that the recall targets the five ounce Organic Marketside Spring Mix marketed in a clear container with production code G089B19, a best-if-used-by date of April 14, 2017 located on the front label, and UPC code 6 8113132897 5 located on the bottom of the container.

Fresh Express stated that the recalled salad should not be consumed. People who purchased the product can receive a full refund by calling the company's consumer response center at 1-800-242-5472.

"Fresh Express takes matters of food safety very seriously and rigorously complies with all food safety regulations including the proscribed Good Agricultural Practices," the company said in its statement.

"In addition, a range of stringent controls are in place during growing and harvesting to mitigate against field material from entering the raw product system. In manufacturing, additional controls including thorough washing and filtration systems as well as visual inspections that are designed to eliminate unwanted debris," the statement continued.

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