September 20th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
 With the recent E. coli outbreak traced to packaged spinach, what can smart organic consumers do to make sure their produce is safe?
Greens pose several challenges, according to Dr. Sam Beattie, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University. It’s almost impossible to ensure there will be no pathogenic microorganisms on any raw agricultural product.
“Cut spinach and other packaged greens, by their nature, cannot be thermally processed to kill pathogens,” Dr. Beattie says. “Secondly, chemical inactivation of the pathogens is difficult because of the product. Lastly, control over the animals that overfly, graze, slither, crawl and are otherwise naturally present in a field is impossible.
“The outbreak in question,” he continues, “could have come from something as simple as deer excrement on or near the leaves of a plant. The actual feces may be washed off by rain, irrigation or other means, but the contamination has occurred.”
Dr. Beattie offers the following guidelines for buying bagged greens:
- Buy from reputable stores that have adequate cooling and a “first in, first out” inventory method.
- Look for code dates on bags.
- Look for obvious signs of product deterioration: brown or wilted leaves, overly moist or wet leaves, water accumulation in the bag and/or swollen bags.
- Once purchased, keep cut produce cold.
- Washing with cold running water will do little to remove bacteria, but will freshen the product.
Dr. Beattie does not recommend any type of chemical sanitizer for use on produce in the home setting.
OrganicAuthority.com will continue to provide updates through this blog as part of our commitment to organic living.
Our Complete Coverage (Chronological)
Spinach and E. Coli Outbreak
Spinach Woes
Read More: Shopping for Bagged Greens
Tags: ecoli, greens, outbreak, spinach
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September 19th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
An update on the E. coli outbreak from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- The FDA is still advising consumers not to eat any fresh spinach or salad blends containing fresh spinach that are consumed raw (organic and nonorganic).
- E. coli in spinach can be killed by cooking it at 160°F for 15 seconds. (Water boils at 212°F.) If spinach is cooked in a frying pan and all parts do not reach 160°F, all bacteria may not be killed.
- If consumers choose to cook spinach, they should avoid cross-contamination with other foods and cooking surfaces.
- Wash hands, utensils and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the spinach.
- If you develop diarrhea after consuming fresh spinach or salad blends that contain it, contact your healthcare provider. Have a stool specimen tested for E. coli.
- If you ate fresh spinach or salad blends before the outbreak was announced and you feel well, you do not need to see a healthcare provider.
According to the FDA, there are now 21 confirmed states with infected consumers (two more than reported previously): California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
OrganicAuthority.com will continue to provide updates through this blog as part of our commitment to organic living.
Read More: Spinach Woes
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September 18th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
As you’ve likely heard, the FDA is advising consumers to avoid eating fresh spinach because of an E. coli outbreak in 19 states. The advisory covers all fresh spinach and products that contain fresh spinach that are consumed raw—most notably, bagged salads.
Natural Selection Foods of San Juan Bautista, Calif., is recalling all products that contain spinach in all the numerous brands they pack with “Best if Used by Dates” of Aug. 17 through Oct. 1. The company’s 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, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer’s Market, Tanimura & Antle, President’s Choice, Cross Valley and Riverside Farms.
River Ranch, of El Centro, Calif., is recalling packages of spring mix containing spinach, which it obtained from Natural Selection Foods. The brands involved are Farmers Market, Hy Vee, Fresh and Easy.
Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall. The FDA will continue to investigate whether other companies and brands are involved.
E. coli causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. While most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people may develop a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which usually occurs in young children and the elderly. HUS can lead to serious kidney damage and death. At press time, 109 cases of illness have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 16 cases of HUS and one death. Illnesses are still being reported, and fresh spinach should be avoided until further notice.
States that have reported illnesses are: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The affected products were also distributed to Canada and Mexico.
If you believe you have experienced symptoms of illness after consuming prepackaged spinach, contact your healthcare provider. OrganicAuthority.com will continue to provide updates through this blog.
Suggested Reading
Read More: Update: Spinach and E. Coli Outbreak
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