AUSTRALIAN SPINACH CAUSED HALLUCINATIONS

Nine people in Sydney have suffered “toxic reactions” from spinach believed to have been contaminated by accident.

According to New South Wales Health, people from four different households needed medical attention following “possible food-related toxic reaction” caused by tainted Riviera Farms spinach bought at Costco.

Health officials believe the reactions, including hallucinations, could have been caused by the presence of “an accidental contaminant in the food product”.

News24 reports that health officials warned of “severe” possible symptoms associated with consuming the spinach, including delirium or confusion, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and blurred vision.

Officials have released a statement saying that the baby spinach bought at Costco with an expiration date of 16 December is “not safe to consume and people who have it should throw it out”.

According to Dr Darren Roberts, the medical director at the NSW Poisons Information Centre, some patients were still ill more than a day after the onset of symptoms.

“The patients that have been quite unwell have been to the point of marked hallucinations where they are seeing things that aren’t there. They can’t give a good recount of what happened.”

Image credit: Sydney Morning Herald