Government has advised that it is safe to eat spinach, as long as it was not produced in the United States.

As reported on September 16, people had been urged to throw out the plant after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to consumers about an outbreak of the E.coli bug.

According to the Washington Post yesterday, the same strain of spinach-linked E. coli has sickened 183 people nationwide since last month.

One woman has died, and it is suspected in the deaths of a child and an elderly woman. Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever and chills.

Inspectors are still seeking the source of the outbreak in the States, and Bermuda?s Chief Environmental Officer Estlyn Harvey said yesterday that it is still not safe to eat spinach from there.

She has advised retailers that it is fine to bring in supplies from countries other than the USA, including Canada.