I've eaten bagged spinach this week. So now what?

Question

I had spinach today and yesterday, also about four days or so ago - all from the same bag. Would it be okay to assume I'm not going to have an e-coli problem (as noted in the news)? I'm going to toss the rest of the bag.

Answer 1

Your spinach is probably OK. It takes a few days to develop symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 illness. You do not have to throw out the spinach. You can thoroughly wash the spinach and cook it.

For some people, especially young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, foodborne illness can be very dangerous.

Foodborne illnesses are more common that most people think. You should always soak raw fruits and vegetables in chlorinated tap water for a few minutes and rub it to get it clean and rinse under running tap water before you prepare and eat them . Use a brush to scrub produce with firm or rough surfaces, such as oranges, cantaloupes, potatoes and carrots. Any bacteria left-over 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.

Another company, River Ranch, of California, is currently recalling its spring mix containing spinach. River Ranch obtained bulk spring mix containing spinach from Natural Selections. The following brands are involved: Farmers Market, Hy Vee, Fresh and Easy.

Sometimes, the contamination comes from cow manure used as fertilizer. Cows, pigs, sheep and horses may be infected with E. coli O157: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 O157: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 O157:H7 is also resistant to chlorine so you must soak the vegetables for around 10 minutes and use friction to rub the vegetables. Unpasturized 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 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 O157:H7 may also be antibiotic resistant. During the current epidemic of E.coli O157:H7 found in spinach an 85-year-old woman died in Wisconsin and 109 people have been hospitalized.

The CDC estimates that about 73,000 cases of E.coli related illness occur each year. And 76 million cases of other foodborne illness. As a direct result of pathogenic E. coli infections and its complications, every year 2,100 Americans are hospitalized, and 61 people die. 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

Molly! Honey! Please don't throw out the bag. The fact that you haven't gotten sick proves that your bag (and the spinach in it) is good. You can probably fetch a pretty penny for it on the black spinach market, as consumers will not be able to buy spinach from grocery stores. Now is your chance to be a millionnair! Go for it!

Answer 3

Food poisoning, such as that caused by the E. coli found in this week's contaminated spinach, causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms within 3-24 hours of ingestion. If you have no symptoms now, you will not be affected. Note that cooking to 180 degrees kills the E. coli bacteria. If you will eat raw in the future, be sure to rinse the greens thoroughly, even if the bag says they are "triple washed".

Answer 4

If you haven't become ill yet, then you're probably okay. However if you do start getting sick, you'd best head for the nearest ER. Personally, I'm avoiding bagged spinich for the time being & am choosing other veggies instead.

Answer 5

For a week, it won't matter. Be creative, you can mix stuff in with the spinace.....rice and spinach, feta cheese and spinach. You can incorporate it into smoothies (and fool your family). "spinach contains iron absorption inhibiting substances, including high levels of oxalate which can bind to the iron to form ferrous oxalate, which renders much of the iron in spinach unusable by the body. In addition to preventing absorption and use, high levels of oxalates remove iron from the body. But some studies have found that the addition of oxalic acid to the diet may improve iron absorption in rats over a diet with spinach without additional oxalic acid.

Answer 6

You would have been quite sick by now if you ate it yesterday. The only people at serious risk are the very young, very old and people with compromised immune systems. I have some in the refrigerator too and guess I'll toss it, but I was thinking about just washing it really good.

Answer 7

I'd say you are safe especially if you ate it a few days ago and are still ok. I'd get rid of the bag though.

Answer 8

As my wife does daily, I threw out her spinach. She has been complaining the last few days of stomach cramps. I guess we will join the others at the doctors office to check. Good luck and hopefully you will be spared.

Answer 9

If you ate if four days ago and haven't gotten sick yet, you should be fine.

Answer 10

Yeah, you should be fine. If nothing happened to you in the past 4 days, nothin is probably going to happen.

Answer 11

you could get kidney sones from to much spinach. as well as stomach problems be careful