Are vegetables safe from E. coli or other bacteria?

Question

WIth all the scare of the livestock and fish eating the tainted food of wheat and rice from China, salmonella in peanut butter, and scares of E. coli - -

If a vegetable like celery, squash, broccoli, beans, etc, is going in a field that was flooded with contaminated water from a chicken or cattle farm with manure and such....... can the growing vegetable get E. coli from the filthy water ? This would mean that it would be in the vegetable when someone ate it.

Is this possible ?

understand about he bacteria being on the outside, and I try to pick my own fruits & veggies from mostly organic farms and orchards.....

I was worried about the water flooding the field from rain or whatever would have small enough bacteria that could get ** inside **
the vegetable, making it unsafe to eat. This means no matter how much it it washed or peeled it is not safe because the bacteria is in the cells of the fruit or veggie ?

I guess this means to be safest, cook all vegetables instead of having a salad, or munching on carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, etc. ??? - -not to eat raw ?

Answer 1

Here is one suggestion from:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columncc/cc000630.html

If you wash twice in plain water, you get about a 100 to 1 reduction. The bacteria is simply removed from the produce and diluted within the water -- no matter which method you use.

here's another from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_wash_store_prod/0,2677,FOOD_22199,00.html

Tips for Washing
One way to wash a lot of produce is to fill up a large bowl with cool water and dunk it all, scrubbing or swirling as you go. You may need to change the water a couple times. Warm water will actually bring out the flavor in items that you’re ready to serve, but never go above lukewarm — you don’t want to cook the food!

Cool water is best for crisping limp produce — wilted lettuce and limp carrots will revive with 30 minutes to an hour in a cold water bath. Always wash bagged lettuce, even if it is labelled pre-washed.

You can get a vegetable scrubber for root vegetables or anything with a rind. New potatoes and baby carrots will require little else than a gentle scrub before cooking. Even items you’re planning on peeling with a peeler, though, should be washed as any contaminants on the outside will spread to the peeler and the food inside.

By the way, you won’t get the wax coating off of things like apples by scrubbing — you need to actually peel the fruit to remove it.

Never use any detergent or bleach solutions to wash with as fruit and vegetables can absorb these solutions and they’re not meant for human consumption. You can use special produce sprays to wash, but water alone will also do the trick.

Answer 2

In recent news, there has been a number of contaminations of bacteria in various vegetables and fresh produce. I have heard about poisonings from tainted spinach, brocolli, strawberries, rasberries and blackberries in the last year or two.

E-Coli is most common in places where raw sewage or human waste may have come into contact with the food. Some countries have farmers that will irrigate their crops with water pumped from a nearby river. Many of the cities and towns along these rivers do not adequately treat the sewage before releasing it into the river and this can contribute to the contamination.

Mexico has earned a mixed reputation due to the frequency of e-Coli cases reported after eating fresh produce from that country. However, contamination can happen anywhere...even from the stock clerk who did not wash his hands after going to the bathroom and then proceeded to load the lettuce in the display at the grocery store.

As others have said, it is always a good idea to wash the food you are serving, as this not only gets the visible dirt off the food, but can also help eliminate pesticides, contaminated water, and other waste.

Most good restaurants will "triple-wash" their fresh produce to try and make sure that contamination risk is minimized. It takes time but may be a good habit to get into.

And for those with green thumbs, growing your own fruits and vegetables is a good way to avoid these issues.

Answer 3

Gilda: You have the answers correctly. This is exactly where it comes from, why back when, the Mexican were picking Strawberries and using an outdoor thingy that was running over in the fields. The Strawberries were tainted, they weren't suppose to be shipped into the U.S. because of their low standards but, someone was looking the other way when, they were shipped to the Midwest, mainly to Michigan, many schools were out due to E coli.
Veggies carry it all the time. Lately it was Cantaloupe, Celery, usually from Countries with lower standards then ours.
Wash the veggies and fruit very good, use the newer wash available at most supermarkets now, the price you'll pay is worth the illness you'll suffer if you don't.

Answer 4

uhh....yea, where were you when the whole contaminated spinach epidemic happened?

yea..I deserved that thumbs down, I was rude, my bad, it was just that the E. Coli contaminated spinach was a huge deal in the news for quite some time, everyone was afraid to eat spinach and many people across the United States and I think even in a few other countries (as the spinach was shipped there from the U.S), were sickened or killed by this outbreak of E. Coli.

Answer 5

if the crops are near a livestock farm , there is a chance of contamination due to run off by rainfall.

so no they are not always safe

Answer 6

It is possible, but wash them really well. We have to eat veggies. They are a must in our diets. Have a great day.

Answer 7

No, they are not ... and yes, it is possible, and it has happened. Last summer, lettuce from certain areas of California was contaminated and had to be removed from the market. (Re-washing produce at home will not remove existing contamination).

Answer 8

I think if you wash them good before you eat them you should be safe.

Answer 9

make sure you wash them well and cook them. spinaches and broccoli should always be cooked before consumption.m