I’m wary of the herbs.

They’re natural and groovy, but also microbiologically messy.

I grow them, but rarely eat them raw, and am considerate about crosss-contamination.

People are being urged to throw out bags of Italian parsley from a Nelson, New Zealand,  company after tests showed traces of listeria.

Traces of Listeria Monocytogenes, which can cause listeriosis, were found in 50-gram bags of Italian parsley sold by Riwaka-based Tasman Bay Herbs. The affected bags have a use-by date of up to June 27 and were sold to nine retail outlets in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch.

The stores were among those which recalled all Tasman Bay Herbs stock on Monday afternoon after a test revealed potential contamination.

Further testing showed the 50 gram bags of Italian parsley had traces of listeria contamination. All other products tested negative for listeria.