E. coli outbreak hits 20 states

[neoprodigy]

E. coli outbreak hits 20 states


http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/15/tainted.spinach.ap/index.html

[webcricket]

I had that bagged spinach cooked for dinner two days ago. I wonder how long it takes one to get sick... :eek:

[fishcatch22]

:eek: :eek: :eek: I hope nothing happens to cricket.....

[blackwolfXKAV]

i had the bloody spinach raw in a salad YESTERDAY, so hopefully i'll still be alive by the time you read this...

[jm1212]

you both should go to the doctor immedietly!
E.coli is no laughing matter. if you think that in a few days you just have a stomach ache by coincidence, well, that that stomach ache could kill you if you dont get any medical attention.

your doctor may put you on E.coli fighting meds just to be safe, but the benifits of being sure will out weigh the risk of going untreated and then going to a point where it will be difficult to help.

[Hannys_Papa]

FWIW ... Cooking the spinach will kill e.coli....

EDIT: I just read there are some cases in upstate NY...

[mostlycichlids]

Yeah go get checked my wife works at subway they had to throw out every bit of spinach at every subway around the country.

[webcricket]

I think I'm okay, the spinach was cooked in the oven at high heat (top leaves crisped). I hope everyone else here stays healthy! And I hope there are no more deaths, apparantly children and the elderly are most at risk.

[plah831]

yeah, I've heard of that happening before in other packaged salad or veggies. So this is not the first incident. Even though the things say "pre-washed" I know I should still wash it with a citrus-oil based Fruit and Veggie Wash. But I'm just too lazy sometimes! I wonder if that would help, or if it just makes me feel better?

[Toirtis]

Washing will reduce the risk, but will not eliminate E. coli.

[plah831]

ahh, that's true. maybe some mechanical removal of bacteria though?

[Toirtis]

ahh, that's true. maybe some mechanical removal of bacteria though?

I cannot imagine how one might accomplish that without destroying the produce.

[plah831]

I meant just through the washing of the produce, some of the bacteria would be removed mechanically through bulk removal of surface adherants :D Didn't mean to imply I was going to scrub my produce like the dickens!

[kjf91004]

yeah, I've heard of that happening before in other packaged salad or veggies. So this is not the first incident. Even though the things say "pre-washed" I know I should still wash it with a citrus-oil based Fruit and Veggie Wash. But I'm just too lazy sometimes! I wonder if that would help, or if it just makes me feel better?

The meat industry uses washes and rinses to prevent E. coli growth in hamburger. These washes are not like "soap and water" but are designed to not be rinsed off during storage, and help lower the outside pH of the carcass so E. coli can't grow. A lot of the small Wisconsin meat establishments use vinegar.

The government sent out a directive a few years ago forcing all meat establishments to do this. I wonder if the veggie wash is kind of the same principle?

[plah831]

ooh, I could try the vinegar. It would be like salad dressing, anyway, yum! Thanks for the tip. It'll taste a lot better than the bleach I was toying with in my mind ;)

[Rallysman]

:)