Ever since the outbreak of Listeria from bagged salad greens (eight times in 2012!), I’ve been paranoid about washing my greens. Even if they come bagged, and the bag is marked “triple washed,” I pay no attention. Out comes my salad spinner (what a great invention – can’t live without it) and rinse…and rinse…and rinse.
I mean, who wants Listeria, which can multiply at refrigerator temperatures, and cause potentially deadly blood poisoning or meningitis in older adults and in people with compromised immune systems?
Why take a chance, when all you have to do is..rinse?
Here’s what the FDA has to say:
Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items like lettuce are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging. If the package indicates that the contents are pre-washed and ready-to-eat, you can use the produce without further washing.
Umm…I don’t buy it.
Even though I also read a post on NutritionAction.com that says that rewashing bagged, pre-washed salad greens is very unlikely to make the salad safer – and – it’s very difficult to remove disease-causing bacteria just by rinsing with water once they become attached to leafy greens.
The thought of not washing the greens still scares me.
Even though the Nutrition Action article quoted an FDA safety expert who said there’s a greater likelihood of making a safe product unsafe by cross-contaminating it with bacteria from things like your fingers, cutting boards, countertops or the sink.
I’m still washing. Yeah, I can be stubborn.
As for those yucky, slimy leaves, if there are just a few at the bottom of the bag, use what’s at the top and get rid of the slimy leaves and any leaves they might have touched. If they’re at the top of the bag, it’s not worth taking a chance – get rid of the entire bag.
That’s why I always buy more than one head, or one bag of salad greens when I go shopping.
You just never know.
Irene S. Levine says
You always pick the most interesting topics~
Thanks for another great post.
SherylK says
Thanks, Irene. Hope it helped solved the dilemma!
Alexandra says
I had always wondered. Thanks for the clarification.
SherylK says
Happy to help, Alexandra.
Kris @ Attainable Sustainable says
I tend to be overly cautious about washing greens, pre-washed or not. We have our own issues here in Hawaii – something called rat lungworm disease – so I’m a stickler, but what about people in other regions – is listeria a problem for folks who grow their own greens?
SherylK says
Well, that sounds pretty awful…I don’t blame you for being a stickler. I doubt listeria is a problem for folks who grow their own greens; I’d imagine they’d be a lot more careful about the conditions, you know?
Brette says
I usually buy hydroponic lettuce, which I have convinced myself must be safer than things grown in the ground where there can be run off from livestock, humans using the field as a bathroom, etc.. I don’t know, but it makes me feel better at least!
SherylK says
Not a bad idea, Brette. I don’t always see it on the shelves, though. Where do you buy it?
ruth pennebaker says
Oh, Sheryl — do I really have to wash my already triple-washed spinach? I took such comfort in the triple promise … You know what a slob I am.
SherylK says
So sorry, Ruth, to break it to you. But, you can always side and stay with those who don’t wash and survive, I guess.
Donna Hull says
Out of pure laziness, I haven’t been washing my triple washed greens in the last few weeks. After reading your post, I’ll start washing again.
Alisa Bowman says
I think the solution is buying leaves you trust–that haven’t been pooped on by the people who picked them.
Rosalba Gordon says
I keep a spray bottle full of white vinegar and everything that comes from the store get a shot of it. No only I spray greens (and rince after) but the lids of milk, orange juice, ketchup… I know, with all the news I’m getting paranoic.
SherylK says
Well, that sounds like a really smart idea. I wonder, though…do the greens absorb the flavor of the vinegar?
Roxanne says
I’ve always wondered about this. Listeria is nothing to mess with. Ick! Bagged salads always go slimy on me, so unless I’m going to use the whole bag the day I buy it, I get heads of greens instead. If it *ever* stops snowing here in the Rocky Mtns, I’ll get my kale and spinach planted for the season. Love having fresh salad from the garden.
merr says
I wonder about this all the time, and often find myself washing and spinning even the triple-washed greens.
Jeanine Barone says
I always err on the side of washing vegetables, even if they’re triple washed bagged veggies. What’s the harm?