The state has retracted its claim that some salad greens grown and processed at Loudon’s Lef Farms greenhouse were tainted, saying an error by the state Public Health Laboratory in Concord was responsible for the incorrect alert.

“The products from Lef Farms are safe and the recall has been canceled,” the state Department of Health and Human Services wrote in a press release Thursday afternoon.

The agency said this is the first time it has had to rescind a recall due to a false positive from routine testing in the labs’ history. It has been doing tests of food and other products for more than 20 years.

Last Friday the state issued a recall for Lef Farms “Spice” Packaged Salad Greens, saying tests had found contamination with E. coli bacteria in one lot. 

“I wish to apologize to Lef Farms, their customers and the public for this unfortunate event,” said Division of Public Health Services Director Tricia Tilley in a statement. “Their products are safe for consumers. We appreciate that Lef Farms has been a willing partner in this process. While this situation is unprecedented, our dedicated staff will embrace all corrective actions to ensure it will not occur again.”

Lef Farms “Spice” is returning to store shelves in Hannaford and Market Basket in New England and New York. Consumers with questions are encouraged to call Lef Farms at 1-866-857-8745 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. or email info@lef-farms.com with the subject line: Recall.

Lef Farms (pronounced “leaf”) opened in 2017 on a former gravel pit on Route 106, using controlled lights, mechanized planters, conveyor belts and other mechanisms to speed production of leafy greens grown in a liquid medium rather than soil. It was sold to Brightfarms, a national indoor-farming company, in 2021.

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