THIS week's widely publicised baby spinach contamination scare has led to warnings from vegetable experts telling consumers not to seek out the recalled products in an attempt to get a cheap high.
The impacted green leafy vegetables have led to more than 130 people suffering symptoms including delirium and hallucinations, with authorities believing weeds accidentally harvested alongside spinach from the Victorian farm at the centre of the recall from major supermarkets are to blame.
Michael Coote, who is CEO of vegetable peak industry body Ausveg, noted that the spinach itself was not causing the health issues, but rather "another piece of plant matter from a weed that has been found on this particular farm that has made it through the harvest and packing process and then into products".
The Guardian quoted Dr Brett Summerell, Chief Scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, saying people should not pick and eat unidentified weeds in the hope of a euphoric experience.
"People might be tempted to go out picking weeds thinking that they'll get some sort of high [but] it's really important to remember yes, there might be a hallucinogenic side to this, but there's a whole lot of really horrible health issues," he said.
Farmers are facing significant outbreaks of weeds, after the recent rain and flooding.
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