As has been widely reported in the media, there has been a recall of a small selection of spinach products with spinach sourced from a single farm in Victoria.

AUSVEG commenced crisis management processes late on Thursday once news of the first recall was made public to work to limit the reputational impact on the broader industry. Since then, AUSVEG has undertaken the following activities in response to the issue.

FSANZ has concluded its investigation into the spinach recall and can confirm that all affected products have been identified and recalled. Its media release can be found here > https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/media/Pages/Baby-spinach-recall-concluded.aspx

Media Activity
AUSVEG has published three media releases in response to the spinach recall to ensure the industry’s voice is heard on this issue.

• 16 December 2022 – AUSVEG statement on recall of Riviera Farms branded baby spinach products sold through Costco
• 17 December 2022 – AUSVEG urges consumers to follow recall advice, and have confidence in the veg still on shelves
• 18 December 2022 – Growers call on consumers to continue to buy veg and salad products currently on the shelves

AUSVEG Chair Bill Bulmer, CEO Michael Coote and National Communications Manager Shaun Lindhe have responded to a high volume of media requests that have generated over 1,800 media hits across online, print, radio and TV both domestically and internationally. A lot of these mentions explicitly highlight the industry message that products that are available for sale are unaffected by the recall. Through these interviews, AUSVEG has highlighted that consumers should:

• Follow the recall advice for the specific products included in the recall;
• Continue to have confidence in vegetable products that are available on the shelf; and
• Support hard-working local growers by continuing to buy fresh produce.

AUSVEG has featured in the following media outlets:

• ABC
• Channel 7
• Channel 9
• Channel 10
• SBS
• Sky News
• News Corp Metro papers
• Nine Metro and regional papers
• The Guardian
• 2GB
• 3AW
• Regional and Rural radio
• Local and Regional papers via AAP

Stakeholder Engagement
Aside from the media, AUSVEG has also engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that industry’s issues and concerns are considered during this issue. AUSVEG has engaged with the following:

• The grower who has been implicated in the recall to offer support during this time.
• Growers who were not included in the recall but have seen a drop in sales and reduced orders as a result.
• Direct engagement with Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
• Major retailers, including Costco and Coles.
• Representatives across government Health and Food Safety Departments.
• AUSVEG’s State Members, Fresh Markets Australia and other key grower representative bodies.

Ongoing Work
AUSVEG will continue to steer the media narrative to ensure that industry’s voice and concerns are heard by the public. AUSVEG will keep closely monitoring the situation and engage with relevant authorities to ensure the broader industry is not unduly impacted by the recall so close to Christmas and the festive season.

If anyone has any concerns or would like to discuss the situation with us, please do not hesitate to contact AUSVEG at any time. We are particularly keen to hear from growers who are experiencing commercial impacts from reduced sales during this time as a result of the recall.