Bagged greens with a side of E. coli
You'd like a spinach salad tonight to go along with your dinner. So you tromp into your local grocery store and aim for the bagged salad greens. But you may be getting more than you bargained for: E. Coli could be an extra ingredient not listed on the package.
Not a month goes by that there's not a news story about some new food safety scare. E. Coli has consistently been at the top of the heap. The worst stories go beyond just folks getting severely ill—some have died as a result of their seemingly healthy choice poisoning them.
And "triple-washed" advertised on the bag seems to be no guarantee of safety. Bacterial contamination can come from one of several sources. Field contamination can occur before the greens are even picked. It can come from the water used for irrigation and in the product processing. Livestock grazing in a field nearby or upstream can also be a source. Sick workers at the farms are yet another source of contamination. Which means, you can wash these bagged greens all you want, but during an outbreak it might not mean a thing.
The fresh produce industry has been working overtime. First, to keep up with the year-round demand for these fresh goods. Second, to keep your confidence in their products so you'll continue to buy them.
A lot of my patients have told me they've switched over from fresh to frozen spinach. The frozen variety is blanched at high temperatures just prior to freezing, which will kill bacteria, and is certainly a suitable substitute.
If you still prefer the fresh stuff but have lingering concerns, just be mindful of any outbreak alerts and use caution. Those would be the times you will want to cook your spinach, or make a switch and try another leafy green vegetable in its place. There's such a wide variety of greens available now that you can always substitute something for a good salad, or even skip the greens and just make a chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and a dressing.
Another tip: Buy local whenever possible. They just don't have the same safety issues as corporate-owned farms where mass production is the number one goal. And imagine how nice it would be to shake the hand of the man that actually grew your food.
