Bagged Lettuce

Hmmm maybe Amy and I will be switching to buying heads of lettuce instead of bags. From Anna Venger:

The reporter was discussing with various health specialists and with lettuce growers several outbreaks of E. coli which seemed to be connected to bagged lettuce, of all things.

There were no definitive answers. Nonetheless, it might be wise to follow their suggestions. Wash bagged lettuce even if it says "pre-washed; ready to eat" on the packaging, and don't use it past its expiration date as E. coli tends to grow more rapidly the more decayed the food becomes.

I don't think that lettuce in bags is insufficiently washed but the expiration date may play a factor. The chopped and processed lettuce in most grocery store bags has a lot more surface area than larger leaves from heads of lettuce. That increases the rate of spoilage pretty quickly. That the plastic bags tend to hold in moisture and create a lovely damp environment for micro-organisms to grow doesn't hurt either. From my experience heads of lettuce tend to wilt and become unappetizing before they get bad for you. Bags of lettuce tend to spoil around the edges and decay.

I have to wonder if people just aren't keeping track of things enough. Amy and I have thrown out salad on a regular basis when we've lost confidence in it. And keep in mind that once you've opened a food product, the expiration date on the side has no bearing on its edibility. That is a sell-by date when the jar/can/drum is sealed, not a use by date after it has been opened.

I don't expect much adverse impact for me even if lettuce drops out of fashion. I get most of my vitamins in concentrated pill form. According to 1960s futurists it's how we should all be eating in the 21st century.