Buzz
The recent bagged salad recalls might make you think twice about your vegetable intake this week. Or maybe for good.
The latest recall from the Centers for Disease Control is for Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits. These kits have been linked to eight cases of E. coli food poisoning across three states. Thankfully, no fatalities have occurred, though three individuals required hospitalization.
To check if the salad bag in your fridge is part of the recall, the CDC advises you to look for “UPC 0 71279 30906 4, starting with lot code Z, and a best-before date up to and including 07DEC19” located in the upper right corner of the package.
This warning follows closely after the CDC's advice for people to avoid consuming romaine lettuce from Salinas, California. The CDC clarified that all romaine lettuce from this area, including all use-by dates and brands, should be avoided. If no origin is listed, the CDC recommends discarding the lettuce for safety reasons.
Over 100 individuals across 23 states have been diagnosed with the same strain of E. coli that has affected those linked to the Fresh Express kits, though it’s still unclear whether the two incidents are connected.
We've had our doubts about bagged lettuce for quite some time here at Mytour, but can we all just agree that lettuce, in general, seems to be cursed?
The CDC’s E. coli outbreak tracking site records two separate outbreaks involving romaine lettuce in 2018, one connected to leafy greens in 2017, and even tracks cases dating back as far as 2006. Lettuce, once regarded as a simple base for fresh, delicious toppings, can no longer be trusted.
Bagged salads are especially problematic because their contents often come from various farms and are distributed across many regions. This increases the likelihood that contaminated lettuce may end up on our plates. Despite being washed several times in chlorinated water, the process still doesn't eliminate E. coli.
If you’re still in the mood for lettuce, remember that buying it from a small local farm may not shield you from food-borne illness. If you opt for a head of lettuce, the FDA suggests removing and discarding the outer leaves and then thoroughly rinsing the remaining leaves before using them. Spraying with a vinegar solution can help kill bacteria, but in this age of lettuce-related outbreaks, there's no foolproof guarantee. Sorry!
