If you eat bagged salads....you will want to read this!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12536902/

k my mom sent this to me today after I ate my salad!  URRR!  Talks about Ecoli being found in bagged salads!

... looks like I'm ready to try getting a head of romaine and a cripser soon, then :p

oh hey great.  I eat Dole bagged spinach and romaine nearly every day... and this story is out of Minneapolis.   Wonderful.  Nothing like really putting it close to home.

Nymo I am with you (except I live further North in MN).  I think I am going to have to learn to be really careful.

That happened almost 2 months ago and I'm quite certain that Dole addressed the issue immediately.  If you're still worried, simply wash your lettuce again and definately check the expiration date on those bags --I hate it when I accidentally pick one up that is set to expire the very next day.

I can't remember where, but I read or heard that with the exception of the story above - MOST of the bagged salads are really well taken care of.  I think it was on a food network show.  I live on 'em...  

I agree with dbderby. I like the bagged salads, but I always rinse and put it through the salad spinner. It freshens the taste. When you first open those bags the salad has a bad odor but a quick rinse will take that away, and hopefully rinse away the bacteria, too.

I know, a tad less convenient. But much easier than the thorough washing and chopping that head lettuce requires.

Well, that's scary. I don't buy Dole brand but it could happen with anything, I guess.

What stinks is that I could round up all the articles I've ever read about contaminated food and what this does to you and what too much of that does, and I could get enough evidence to convince me to never eat anything again! Sometimes I think it might be best just to ignore it!

At this point, I must have e.coli, cancer of the mouth, lungs, feet, and stomach, gout, BSE (mad cow), sleeping sickness, mono, and probably a touch of the black plague!

I will be washing my bagged salads from now on though - better safe than sorry any day!

the last thing i read in regard to this was that bagged salad was actually safer than washing your own produce and that this was an isolated incident....

and i agree with tracy-- everything has some sort of hysteria linked to it, and its probably best to not pay attention to most of it.

If it was widespread then a lot more people would be sick.  However, I always wash my salad greens, bagged or not.

Storage tip for romaine hearts - pull the heads apart and split the center of the heart with a sharp knife.  Fill a clean sink with cold water and float all the lettuce in the water, swishing gently to allow the grit to settle to the bottom.  Lift (this is important) the greens out of the water and set on one side while you clean and refill the sink for a second time.  Lift out again and drain in a colander.  Spread out on a very clean kitchen towel to drain off the water, then onto another dry clean towel.  Wrap loosely in the towel and place in a loose plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator.  Unwrap and use as needed then re-wrap.  Keeps crisp for 4 days at least.  If it lasts for more than 4 days, take it out of the towel because the towel may become musty.

Hey no joking about gout Tracymarie.  :)  I actually got that once - how, I'll never know.  For a week at work I got teased about my old man foot, because it seems to be an ailment that mostly afflicts older men.  ;)

Maybe I got it from my salad.  :)

yeah I wasnt sure to think about the article either so I thought I would share with everyone. 

hubby has gout :(

Sprouts are far more dangerous. But as it says:

Even though most of these bag salads are pre-washed and labeled â??Ready to eat,â?� experts say it doesnâ??t hurt to wash it again.

Sorry about your hubby, slappy :( and sorry for anyone else who has experienced a condition I mentioned - perhaps it was a bit insensitive. Didn't mean to call anyone out :)