Hundreds sick from contaminated Australian baby spinach

Health authorities in Australia are urging people not to consume baby spinach products after more than 200 fell ill.

A number of baby spinach products have been removed from supermarket shelves across the country, with Food Standards Australia New Zealand warning they may have been contaminated with unsafe plant material.

Symptoms from eating the products include delirium or confusion, hallucinations, dilated pupils, a rapid heartbeat, flushed face, blurred vision and a dry mouth and skin, the authority said.

In the state of New South Wales, which is home to the country's largest city Sydney, 164 people have reported symptoms after eating baby spinach and at least 42 of these people have sought medical attention, health authorities said on Monday.

At least 20 people have attended hospital emergency departments in Victoria, while there have been at least 10 possible cases in Queensland. The health department of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to the capital Canberra, said it is investigating "several" possible cases of the poisoning.

Vegetable industry body AUSVEG said the product recall was limited to spinach from a single farm in the state of Victoria.

Chief executive Michael Coote said he urged people to dispose of the recalled products and seek medical attention if needed.

"Given the affected products have originated from a single farm, and all affected products are being removed from shelves, Australian consumers can be confident in other spinach and leafy salad products that are currently available for sale, which are unaffected by the recall."

Riviera Farms, the company whose spinach products were affected, said in a statement it was working "proactively and transparently" with customers and regulators.

It appeared the products had been contaminated with a weed, the statement said.

Samples have been sent to laboratories for testing.