Bat reportedly found in salad spurs CDC investigation

— -- Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating after a dead bat was allegedly discovered by two people eating a packaged salad in Florida.

The CDC announced on Saturday that it is working with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate. The two unnamed customers reported eating part of the salad from a Florida Wal-Mart before finding the animal, according to the CDC.

Fresh Express, which made the packaged salad and distributes items at Wal-Mart, issued a limited recall for its Organic Marketside Spring Mix salad on Saturday.

"The recall was necessitated when Fresh Express was notified that extraneous animal matter was allegedly found in a single container of the salad," the company said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, all salads manufactured in the same production run are being recalled."

The statement continued that the company "seriously and rigorously complies with all food safety regulations," highlighting steps it takes to safeguard food quality.

"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," the statement continued. "In manufacturing, additional controls, including thorough washing and filtration systems as well as visual inspections ... are designed to eliminate unwanted debris."

The bat remains were sent to a CDC laboratory for rabies testing, but because of its deteriorated condition, investigators could not rule out that it had been infected.

"In this circumstance, the risk of rabies transmission is considered to be very low, but because it isn't zero, the two people who ate salad from the package that contained the bat were recommended to begin post-exposure rabies treatment," the CDC said in a statement.

The two people who ate the salad are in good health, with no sign of rabies infection, and there have been no other reports of bat carcasses found in any other packaged salads, according to the CDC.

The CDC is recommending that any people who ate a recalled salad and found animal material in it contact their local health department. People who purchased a recalled salad may return it for a full refund or call the Fresh Express consumer response center toll-free at (800) 242-5472 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time for help.

Fresh Express released the information below about the recall:

"The item subject to the recall is 5 oz. Organic Marketside Spring Mix marketed in a clear container with production code G089B19 and 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. The recalled salads were distributed only to Wal-Mart stores located in the Southeastern region of the United States."

Additional information on the investigation can be found here.