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Prewashed Salads Not as Healthy as you Think

Those convenient prewashed salads in a bag from your local grocery may not be as good for you as you think. According to Web MD, in a new investigation from the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, high levels of bacteria commonly linked to poor sanitation and fecal contamination were found in many of the sampled packaged salads.

The amount of bacteria found was not a threat to public health but its presence leaves room for E.Coli and salmonella. This is alarming because the bacteria can get from the intestines into the blood and cause a very serious infection.
Symptoms include bad stomach cramps and belly pain, vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes with blood in it. In some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

Bacteria outbreaks can be very costly. Health cost can get expensive for those affected with bacteria poisoning especially people without medical insurance. Lost retail sales, extra work hours to remove suspect products from store shelves make the total impact even greater.

To be on the safe side side. It doesn’t matter if the bag of salad you purchased says triple washed, you should still wash it, because even a little particle of bacteria can multiply exponentially in the bag. Keep in mind that produce is a raw product, grown in dirt, which is handled by lots of people before it ever gets into your kitchen. Bacteria can be transferred from dirt residue, or from any of the people handling the produce before and after it arrives in the supermarket.

Here are tips for proper cleaning and handling of fresh produce:

  • The produce is not the only thing you need to wash. Wash your hands thoroughly, using warm water and soap, for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. “Dirty hands are a very common source of bacterial contamination,” says Feist. “Hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness.”
  • Wash the produce under a stream of cool water or using the spray nozzle of your faucet.
  • Rub the produce with your hands, or scrub with a vegetable brush, to remove potential bacteria in all the grooves and crevices.
  • No soap or special solutions are necessary; plain, cool water is the best agent.
  • One potential source of contamination is your own kitchen. Knives, cutting boards, counters, plates, and sponges should be cleaned with soap and water to prevent contamination. “Sponges stay moist and are often breeding grounds for bacterial contamination, so we recommend using clean cloth towels instead of sponges, and washing them often,” says Feist. If you prefer sponges, wash them often, in either the dishwasher or washing machine.
  • Store perishable fruits and vegetables (such as strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator kept at 40 degrees or below, the FDA recommends. And always refrigerate produce that was purchased pre-cut or peeled, to maintain quality and safety.

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    This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Health News, Healthy Living, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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