Are all brands of bagged spinach contaminated?

Question

I read the article about contaminated spinach. Supermarkets are pulling spinach off the shelves, and the FDA is warning not to eat any bagged spinach. Why is this outbreak widespread to all brands of spinach? Do they all come from the same place or something? Usually, when there is an outbreak of something it is limited to one brand. Just wondering. I may have missed something in the article.

Answer 1

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.

Spinach is a healthy food. You may eat it. The problem with bagged "pre-washed" packaged spinach and salads is that people tend to eat it right out of the bag without washing it again. That is not healthy. Raw food should be thoroughly washed, not just rinsed. Cooking does kill most pathogens.

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. Use a brush to scrub produce with firm or rough surfaces, such as oranges, cantaloupes, potatoes and carrots. You should always soak raw fruits and vegetables in chlorinated tap water for a few minutes and rub them to get them clean. Then rinse them under running tap water before you prepare and eat them . Any bacteria left-over will be killed by cooking.

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

Its just a knee jerk reaction from the government. Only organically grown spinach is dangerous.


"Earthbound Farm, the country's largest grower of organic produce, is facing unwelcome scrutiny after federal officials linked a nationwide E. coli outbreak to its bagged spinach.

With about 1,100 employees, Earthbound now sells more than 100 types of fruits and vegetables grown on 29,000 acres in California, Arizona, Mexico and other locations in the U.S. and abroad.

Its Natural Selection Foods brand was linked to the outbreak. Its products are sold under various names, including Selection Foods, Rave Spinach, Dole, Earthbound Farm, Trader Joe's and Ready Pac."

Answer 3

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 4

I think the FDA has not figured out what brand yet so they are playing it safe and pulling all spinach until they figure it out. So if you have any don't eat it.

Answer 5

Probably not all brands are contaminated, but why take a chance?

Answer 6

Of course not. It's like Russian Roullette, though....is it worth it to try to get the bag that's NOT contaminated?

Iceburg lettuce is bland, but it doesn't give you explosive......you know what.

Answer 7

Because they currently have not been able to pin-point "which" brand and type is causing this so they are warning everyone to be on the safe side until they can figure out what type and/or brand is involved.

Answer 8

I don't know if it is all spinach. But why take any chances? I mean we are talking DEADLY not just sick.

Answer 9

They do not know which company it is stemming from so to be safe they pull all brands until they can determine the exact source.

Answer 10

Apparently a lot of them are, so better safe than sorry. Don't take any chances.

Answer 11

your better of avoiding spinach for a while