DID YOU ALL HEAR ABOUT THE e-Coli IN FRESH SPINACH GREENS? & in SPROUTS?

Question

10 States have reported it...They said on the news it's the WORST strain of e-Coli they've seen. I'll grow my own!

THIS WAS ALSO TRUE FOR ALL SPROUTS...Alfalpha & Bean Sprouts. I LOVE THEM! Where do we get them now? Grow our own?

& I ALMOST bought a bag of them tonight to put in my salad...
What will we do without the SPINACH SALAD?

Answer 1

With any vegetable or fruit you should soak it in chlorinated tap water for a few minutes and rub it to get it clean. Any bacteria will be killed by cooking.

At this time, Natural Selection Foods, LLC, of San Juan Bautista, California, is recalling all of its products that contain spinach in all the brands they pack with “Best if Used by Dates” of August 17, 2006 through October 1, 2006. The products were distributed to about 20 states and Mexico.

Natural Selection Foods, LLC brands include: Natural Selection Foods, Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Dole, Rave Spinach, Emeril, Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature’s Basket, Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe’s, Ready Pac, Jansal Valley, Cheney Brothers, Coastline, D’Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Pro*Act, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer’s Market, Tanimura & Antle, President’s Choice, Cross Valley, and Riverside Farms. These products include spinach and any salad with spinach in a blend, both retail and food service products. Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.

Sometimes, the contamination comes from cow manure used as fertilizer. Cows, pigs, sheep and horses may be infected with E. coli 0157:H7 and not become ill. In the past, contaminated seeds, irrigation water, and flooding have contributed to E. coli outbreaks traced to alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, spinach, parsley, and other fresh produce.

E. coli 0157:H7 has formerly been found on all types of produce including strawberries, lettuce and bean sprouts. It has also been found in meat. You should thoroughly wash all vegetables and fruits that you eat raw. The tap water is chlorinated which generally is sufficient to kill most bacteria but 0157:H7 is also resistant to chlorine so you must soak the vegetables for around 10 minutes and use friction to rub the vegetables. Fruit juices were the source of a large E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in 1996.

Meat must be thoroughly cooked. E. coli O157:H7 bacteria is believed to mostly live in the intestines of cattle, but has also been found in the intestines of chickens, deer, sheep, and pigs. E. coli O157:H7 does not make the animals that carry it ill; the animals are merely the reservoir for the bacteria.

It takes about 2 to 8 days for a person to show signs of infection which include:
o- bloody diarrhea
o- nausea and vomiting
o- severe abdominal cramps
o- fever

Healthy adults infected with E. coli O157:H7 may recover within 5 to 10 days without treatment. The higher risk is for those with a compromised immune system, children and older adults. A serious complication of EHEC is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). It leads to destruction of the red blood cells and kidney failure. About 2%-7% of infections lead to this complication. Even with the patient receiving intensive care, the death rate from hemolytic uremic syndrome can be about 3%-5%.

The very infectious E. coli -- type 0157:H7 may also be antibiotic resistant. During the current epidemic of E.coli 0157:H7 found in spinach an 85-year-old woman died in Wisconsin and 50 people have been hospitalized.

The CDC estimates that about 73,000 cases of E.coli occur each year. And 76 million cases of other food borne illness. For E. coli, every year, 2,100 Americans are hospitalized, and 61 people die as a direct result of E. coli infections and its complications. A recent study estimated the annual cost of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses to be $405 million (in 2003 dollars). Those costs that contributed to this estimate included $370 million for premature deaths, $30 million for medical care, and $5 million for lost productivity.

The virulence of E. coli O157:H7 is a result of its ability to produce Shiga-like toxins, or verotoxins. Shiga-like toxins inhibit protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells and play a role in hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome by causing damage to endothelial cells in the kidneys, pancreas, brain, and other organs, thus inhibiting those organs’ ability to function.

The primary mode of transmission of E. coli at agricultural fairs, petting zoos, and farm visits was previously thought to be fecal-oral – that is, by ingestion of bacteria-laden feces via contaminated food or water, or transfer by hand to mouth following contact with contaminated surfaces or animals. Conclusions reached by investigators in several recent fair-associated outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 suggest that ingestion or perhaps even inhalation of contaminated dust particles may be an additional cause of E. coli infection among fairgoers and visitors to petting zoos.

Answer 2

Yes, e-coli will die if the spinach is cooked, but SO many people eat fresh spinach salad. That's where the problem is coming in. We eat spinach quite often at my house,....but we also eat a lot of salads in general.

Answer 3

It kinda upset me, because I rely on spinach as a source of iron. I used to think e. coli was only on meat--I know better now.

Answer 4

I just saw this on CNN and I am FREAKING out because I have been eating that spinach for the past week!!!

Answer 5

ooh come on, wake up, u can find e coli everywhere!! if u grab a cotton and clean ur cel phone and get the cotton tested u´ll find e coli. aslo if u get ur hair brush tested!!
just boil or steam the vegetables before u eat them.
or let the vegetables soak for 15 min in water with antibacterial solution.

Answer 6

it's always been an issue with sprouts. that's why they have such a short shelf life.

Answer 7

OMG!?!??!?!?!
you have got to be kidding me.......DUH!!!!!!!!!! it's been all over the news connie chung, but thanks for reporting a day after the fact. wasnt anything on the news about it being in sprouts tho, just the spinach.

Answer 8

Until this passes, I suggest cooking these items thoroughly.