An E. coli outbreak traced to prewashed, bagged spinach has caused federal health officials to recommend that consumers stay away from the bagged greens.
The New York Times reports that while the exact source of the outbreak cannot be identified, the deadly bacteria has killed 1 person and infected 49 others in eight states.
Although authorities recommend avoiding bagged spinach, they don’t recommend engaging in any leafy profiling. When asked if consumers should avoid bagged salads entirely, Dr. David Acheson of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA said: “At this point, there is nothing to implicate bagged salad.”
I’ve always been suspicious of those bags. What’s the big deal about taking a few minutes to wash your own lettuce?
I was puzzled by one comment that you don’t want to wash “trip[le washed” greens because it could result in “cross contamination”. What is thaty all about? Can somebody explain that? Can anybody explain how you get e.coli when you wash a green and then cook at a a boiling temperature for at least five minutes? I think, if you read between the lines, the people who got sick ate the stuff raw; correct me if I’m wrong, please.
Five minutes isn’t enough. When we lived in South America, I was told that 20 minutes was the safe time for even plain water. That would be boiled-to-death for most greens unless you’re a good Southerner who loves then cooked long and slow.
The other choice is disinfecting everything. We used a chemical – permangenate? (Sp?) It left a vile aftertaste on raw veggies. Then I found a local farmer who used sanitary farming methods.
Don’t mess around. Even with precautions, we got sick. Everyone did occasionally. E coli is serious and no fun. Since you’re not used to doing the disinfecting routine, live without spinach until this blows over.