As I understand it, e-coli has been primarily found in bags of salad, what can we do to protect ourselves?

Question

It seems that non-bagged salads are ok. Is that because we wash that salad? If we washed bags of salad at home, would that get rid of the e-coli?

But isn't a salad a salad? It starts at the farm and then is processed somewhere else. I hear that irrigation and manure are the cause.

Answer 1

From what I've heard it was bagged spinach, not salad. Most stores I've been to have removed all bagged spinach until the situatin has been taken care of...and I heard on the news last night that they found two cows from a farm nearby the affected spinach manufacterer/grower that they could trace the e-coli to.

I think as long as you avoid bagged spinach for a while you'll be fine...and as for other infected foods, well, if you're really extremely concerned then they say that you should cook your food before eating it...as heat will kill the bacteria. Though it's always good to wash your food, from what I hear, because the e-coli is spread to plants many times through the water used to feed it, if the plant is effected it will be IN the plant and not something you can necessarily wash off...so you'd have to cook it.

I'd say not to worry too much about it...very few people have become ill, and as long as you avoid the spinach until we all get the "all clear" to eat bagged spinach again I bet you'll be fine. I think people most effected by e-coli anyhow are very young children and the elderly...from what I understand, though I could be mistaken, is that e-coli generally causes nasty intestinal upset in most healthy people. Just use common sense when cooking. :)

Answer 2

They are now saying that the e-coli threat is over, but it's better to be safe. The product in question was spinach from California. E- coli is easily made harmless by cooking. E coli is kind of complicated. It is a normal intestinal bacteria. You couldn't digest food without it. There is always e coli in a person's intestinal tract. Then again, there are a lot of different types of e coli, some of which won't hurt a healthy adult, but could hurt a child, an elderly person or a person with intestinal problems. And then there is the matter of how much. If you are a healthy adult, you should be able to eat a salad that has been washed, especially if it doesn't contain any California spinach. But I wouldn't give children, older people or unhealthy people any raw California spinach right now. Cooked spinach should still be okay for almost anyone. Sorry kids.

Answer 3

No it would not because it is a bacteria . You cannot just wash bacteria away . just dont eat salad for a while. I read in the paper ppl are not even taking salad from restaraunts right now because of the scare. Maybe that is a good thing.