Not Remotely Appetizing

This article from the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports has me wondering what might be lurking in my refrigerator.

Consumer Reports tested the cleanliness of a range of “prewashed,” packaged salad greens. You know, the kind sold in plastic clamshells and bags.

Irrespective of brand name, style of packaging, or organic status, the samples were found to contain "rather high levels" of bacteria indicating poor sanitation and, get this, “fecal contamination.”

Specifically, 39 percent of their samples exceeded acceptable levels of total pathogenic bacteria, and 23 percent exceeded acceptable levels of enterococcus bacteria.

I’m so grossed out.

But why isn’t there data on how “prewashed” lettuce compares to a regular head of lettuce?

And how do either of these numbers compare to lettuce fifty years ago?

I’m just thinking that if there are similar levels of fecal contamination in a regular head of lettuce, and/or there always has been fecal contamination in lettuce, then maybe this is a non-issue. That is, have we always eaten these bacteria in our lettuce? Perhaps that’s what it means to eat things that grow in the ground? And the only difference in modern times is that we can measure more exactly just how much bacteria we’re eating?

I’m feeling queasy.

But I’d like more data. (Or less. Like none.) Especially when the best the report can do for me is to tell me to wash the greens myself, even though “Rinsing won’t remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.”

That’s only so reassuring, guys.

Their recommendations, in toto:

• Buy packages as far from their use-by date as you can find.
• Even if the bag says "prewashed" or "triple-washed," wash the greens yourself. Rinsing won't remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.
• Prevent cross contamination by keeping greens away from raw meat. For more information, go to www.ConsumersUnion.org/safefood.

Time to look into the anti-microbial properties of vinaigrette.