Tag Archives: Bagged

Is head lettuce safer than bagger greens; should those bagger greens be washed once home

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"There is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that bagged salad is any more or less risky then a whole head of lettuce." Cutting any fresh produce creates a risk of bacterial growth.

So says a spokeswoman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a Wall Street Journal feature about reviving the prepared salad category; the food safety nuggets are left to the end.

Scientists don’t agree on whether bagged salad has a higher risk of illness than a head of lettuce. Some scientists say it does, because of the possibility that contaminated leaves will spread bacteria to thousands of other leaves during washing and packaging.

For prewashed packaged salads, a second wash at home isn’t recommended for preventing foodborne illness. Addressing the question in 2007, a scientific panel of food-safety experts found the risk of cross-contamination with other foods outweighed any possible benefit from washing packaged salad greens a second time at home.

When washing at home, "there’s a risk that is the sink where you just washed your chicken," says Donald Schaffner, Rutgers University professor of food science.

A table of leafy green related outbreak is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/Outbreaks%20related%20to%20leafy%20greens%201993-2010

Salmonella found in salad, no one sick – yet

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Fresh Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, is voluntarily recalling a specific selection of Fresh Express Romaine-based ready-to-eat salads with the expired Use-by Dates of May 13th through May 16th and an "S" in the Product Code because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall extends only to products with these Use-by Dates and Product Codes and sold in the following states: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota

The recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution based on an isolated instance in which a single package of Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine Salad with a use by date of May 15 was confirmed positive for Salmonella in a random sample test conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

When was the test conducted, because there have been rumors of a positive circulating on the Intertubes? When was the positive confirmed? What strain of Salmonella is involved? Why go public now instead of earlier? How incompetent does the Fresh Express PR person have to be to ignore these questions in the press release?

Sounds like the Sponge Bob leafy greens cone of silence.

Children and barf bags

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The most awesome thing I ever did as a parent – according to Amy – is when we were flying back from Florida last year with daughter Courtlynn (right, with Sorenne).

As the plane touched down in Kansas City, Courtlynn had that 13-year-old look of nausea that I recognized far too well.

I knew she was going to spew.

I deftly retrieved the barf bag from the seat pocket in front of me, Courtlynn filled it, and I nonchalantly deboarded the plane, barf bag in one hand, daughter’s hand in the other, and deposited it in the first available garbage receptacle.

Amy was awestruck.

Marlene, otherwise known as Momma, is apparently awestruck by people who edit blogs containing the word barf. She sent me an e-mail a couple of weeks ago flogging her oversized, fully disposable barf bags that come complete with sanitizing wipes for quick clean-up. And in three logos — one for pregnancy, one for travel, and one with a college-style logo — puke university.

Thanks for the swag, Momma. The three types of barf bags were at the homestead when we returned on Sunday. Who doesn’t need an appropriately adorned barf bag?

Does organic produce need to be washed?

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Organic produce is so virtuous that UK writer Lucy Siegle had to ask, Does organic produce need to be washed?

“Health professionals are adamant that all fresh produce should be cleaned to remove potential pathogens. … Even produce sold as ‘pre-washed’ needs to be washed. … As organic produce has been annexed by big commercial enterprises, it is increasingly scrubbed up in huge pack houses that bring together produce from large numbers of farms for a good dousing.”

Siegle needs to research beyond the big ag conspiracy. A panel of scientists with expertise in microbial safety of fresh produce concluded in 2007 prewashed bagged salads should not be washed again at foodservice or at home.

"Leafy green salad in sealed bags labeled “washed” or “ready-to-eat” that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under cGMPs, does not need additional washing at the time of use unless specifically directed on the label. The panel also advised that additional washing of ready-to-eat green salads is not likely to enhance safety. The risk of cross contamination from food handlers and food contact surfaces used during washing may outweigh any safety benefit that further washing may confer."

Jon Stewart did a nice job trashing stereotypes of big ag, stem cells and that scientific discovery is planned – all at once. See about 1:48 minutes into the video below.

 

 
 

Should bagged salads be washed again?

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No. Prewashed bagged salads should not be washed again at foodservice or at home.

At least that’s what a panel of scientists with expertise in microbial safety of fresh produce concluded after reviewing recent research.

A paper published in the current issue of Food Protection Trends, published by the International Association for Food Protection presents guidelines developed by the panel, together with materials reviewed by the panel to develop the guidelines concluded that,

"leafy green salad in sealed bags labeled “washed” or “ready-to-eat” that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under cGMPs, does not need additional washing at the time of use unless specifically directed on the label. The panel also advised that additional washing of ready-to-eat green salads is not likely to enhance safety. The risk of cross contamination from food handlers and food contact surfaces used during washing may outweigh any safety benefit that further washing may confer."

Meanwhile, Eurosurveillance reported last week that

"Early in October 2007, an increase in notifications of human cases infected with Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 was seen in the Netherlands. All cases reported diarrhoea, and most also had bloody diarrhoea. No cases developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). The onset of illness for the first cases was in mid-September.

"STEC O157 strains that contained both stx1 and stx2 genes were isolated from 36 patients. Subtyping of these isolates by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed, for 33 cases, an identical pattern not previously observed in the Netherlands. One further isolate was nearly identical to the 33. The two remaining isolates, which were isolated from the siblings of a confirmed case, have not yet been typed.

:The PFGE pattern was compared to the pattern found in Iceland, which appeared to be identical. The Iceland outbreak of STEC O157 is described in an accompanying article. …

"The Dutch Food and Safety Authority (FSA) is investigating the distribution channels of packed fresh vegetables and the individual ingredients. Samples of lettuce and other raw vegetables are being taken, as well as environmental samples at vegetable growers and shredding plants that may be involved. One shredding company for fresh vegetables also cuts and packs lettuce products for Iceland. …

"Five cases had consumed lettuce packaged and imported from the Netherlands, as verified either by questionnaire (three cases) or by supermarket purchase records (two cases). Intensified surveillance in lettuce with increased sampling began in mid-October and is ongoing. Culture results have so far been negative.

The strain that caused the outbreak in Iceland was identified by the Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens at the Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom as STEC O157, phagetype 8, carrying the stx1 and stx2 shigatoxin genes. The PFGE pattern of all nine Icelandic isolates was identical to the strain that caused the current STEC O157 outbreak in the Netherlands."

Washing probably wouldn’t have done much. When it comes to fresh produce, food safety begins on the farm. And don’t eat poop.