'Wash salad' advice after two die from E. coli

[Northerner]

Shoppers are being reminded to thoroughly wash mixed salad leaves amid concern that this food could be the source of an E. coli outbreak that has killed two and infected more than 150 people in the UK.

Public Health England says it is still working to establish the exact cause.

Many of those struck down by the E. coli O157 bug had eaten pre-packed salad, including rocket leaves.

The infection can cause bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

People usually notice symptoms three to four days after they have been infected, but symptoms can start any time between one and 14 days afterwards and last for up to two weeks.

Some people will have no symptoms, but others can develop serious complications and will need medical help.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36823404

Must admit, I regularly buy mixed salad leaves pre-packaged and never wash it 😱

 

[Ljc]

I do too Northener but would washing them cold water remove it, I mean a good wash in hot soapy water may well do ...... But I wouldn't fancy eating it afterwards.

 

[Andy HB]

I do too Northener but would washing them cold water remove it, I mean a good wash in hot soapy water may well do ...... But I wouldn't fancy eating it afterwards.

It would be an interesting experiment to see just how effective 'washing' the leaves actually is. Maybe putting them in a washing machine on a rinse-cycle is needed? Who knows?

Has any study ever been done, I wonder and what were the parameters?

Andy 🙂

 

[KookyCat]

I eat my own body weight in salad and I've never washed pre packaged leaves, never 😱. I wash lettuce when I chop it myself but only in case there's a creature left behind or a bit of muck (I get my lettuce from the farm locally). I didn't know salad was a potential health hazard!

 

[Copepod]

On expeditions and independent travel in tropical regions (Indonesia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Morocco, Jordan etc), we washed all vegetables and fruit in water treated with double the normal dose of chlorine or iodine for water that was going to be drunk - unless it was going to be boiled, as that would kill viruses and bacteria, as well as physically removing lumps of muck. Personally, the only uncooked salad item I ever ate was tomato. as they have a relativly low surface area to weight ration, much lower than lettuce, for example, which are lots of surface for virtually no weight.

 

[trophywench]

Yeah but that's tropical regions - not like, East Anglia LOL

We ordered a tuna salad for lunch one day at a rural taverna in Crete. The chap went and got our drinks - then walked past us into his garden and picked the salad leaves. Came back with the two plates cutlery and condiments, and we tucked in. I picked on salad leaf up off my plate and hurled it down the garden, then continued eating. Pete said 'What was wrong with that bit?' 'Nothing at all' I replied, 'In fact the snail was enjoying it so much, I thought it would be a bit mean to part him from it!'

Never as much as an extra fart after that!

 

[Redkite]

The advice to wash packaged salad leaves is ONLY for those which are not labelled "ready to eat" or "ready to dress". Some packaged leaves (especially organic rocket and watercress for some reason) are not prewashed, but people tend not to read the wording on the bags.

 

[Copepod]

The advice to wash packaged salad leaves is ONLY for those which are not labelled "ready to eat" or "ready to dress". Some packaged leaves (especially organic rocket and watercress for some reason) are not prewashed, but people tend not to read the wording on the bags.

Reading labels, warnings etc properly is all too rare! Organic salad items are more likely to have come into contact with compost, which might contain eg animal bedding - and not all animals are fastidious in where they leave their poo! Watercress is grown in water, obviously, and although it needs very clear water, often passing over chalk stream beds, sometimes faeces get into such watercourses.

 

[HOBIE]

Its that time of year !