Vegetables and Leafy Greens
It’s not a surprise (at least not for most vegans out there) that leafy greens and vegetables are a pretty common source of food poisoning. As a matter of fact, throughout the last decade, veggies and fruits have resulted in a number of food poisoning outbreaks.
Most of them were caused by lettuce, celery, spinach, tomatoes, and cabbage. It’s crucial to bear in mind that leafy greens and veggies can be contaminated with Listeria, E.coli, and Salmonella. Contamination of these harmful bacteria can occur at any time. From the dirty runoff process to storing them improperly, contamination can happen across many stages of the veggie and leafy green supply.
In fact, it can also happen due to unhygienic food preparation practices. That’s why it’s best to stay away from fresh salads when you’re eating out, especially when it’s a new restaurant for you. However, between the two (veggies and leafy greens), leafy greens are most likely to make you end up in the ER.
Because they are often consumed raw, doctors tend to report more cases of food poisoning from leafy greens than from veggies. To be more precise, more than 85 percent of the food poisoning outbreaks in our country were caused by leafy greens such as lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and kale.
Before consuming leafy greens, wash them properly, and please avoid eating salads from catering facilities and restaurants.
2 Responses
I worked for a local butcher while growing up. every day we had to scrub down everything. the worst part was the inside of the meat counters. they were the old styles and we had to bend over backward to reach the glass and front or customer side of the cooler. the meet was wrapped and loaded into the walk-in cooler at the end of the workday. The worst part is we used full-strength vinegar. it sure cleared your sinuses. the butcher block was also cleaned with vinegar with salt added. all the machinery that had cutting blades were also cleaned the knives sat in a dish of vinegar until used the next day. This man had only a small store but had loyal customers that came in twice a week for fresh meat, chickens, and eggs. turkeys were always ordered ahead of time. I sometimes wonder if the counters were cleaned at the supermarkets. they count on packaging to keep everything from contamination.. Ed the butcher would always rinse his hands with vinegar when he picked up the meat. In all the years the shop was around I never heard of anyone getting food poisoning from his meat. In a neighborhood where we all knew each other, it would have spread quickly if true. We don’t need all the fancy cleaning supplies that cost so much and may contain chemicals that are bad for you, or your kids. Methods learned when we didn’t have refrigeration to keep us safe are no longer passed down. When a real crisis comes we had better know how to eat safely and keep ourselves clean or die. We are now three generations away from such knowledge. best find out.——— I, Grampa
Thank you for this information. Very helpful. God bless.