We have eaten some of these before. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/li...od-kills-one-cdc/ar-BBozLXa?ocid=ansmsnnews11
Yes, so have I. There is always some sort of recall. I'm the family watchdog for recalls. I have them on my twitter feed and anytime I see a product that I know my kids use, I send them an email.
Yes, every week there are recalls on our food/pet food/drug/clothing/furniture (usually baby) supply! .. Some time ago I signed up for email alerts on recalls that come from the FDA. There are days when I get 8-10 of these recalls. True .. many of the things I've never heard of, but I still stay tuned in to the alerts for everything ... amazing how we are still alive.
Yes, and one day I will be reading about a recall after I just finished eating whatever was recalled! Panic attack time!
This happens all too often and just how many more do not get caught. This is one reason to go back to as natural as possible and not buy prepackage foods.
True but a lot of the lettuce in the US is grown right here in Monterey county in Salinas and I pass those fields many times. There also have been many recalls of lettuce from this area.
These bagged "salads" have been tainted before, as well as bagged spinach. Even though I rarely buy these forms of greens, I think now I'll forego them entirely.
We never bought things like that in the past but recently we have been buying them. We like a lot of variety in our salads and when you buy so many things there is just too much to eat before it spoils, so we liked the bagged salads, but no more. We'll stick to eating salads in the summer when we grow our own.
An elderly lady was in front of me at Kroger yesterday. She was holding up a bag of salad mix (expensive one, around $4, all inclusive with croutons and dressing) and asking the clerk if it was safe to eat. I have bought the bagged salads in the past, but these days I tend to just buy a head of lettuce and some other veggies and make my own salad. I might have to grow my own lettuce again, but if I do, I'll have to get some chicken wire, to keep the cats from eating it. Tomatoes grow well on my balcony, I'll have to dig out my seeds and get to work soon.
The other day in the store a lady & I started discussing this bagged salad problem. She told me the safest way to choose a bag is to look for "puffiness". If it looks really puffy, don't buy it. I wonder?
@Ruby Begonia , the bags are all a little puffy and this is the reason.... A: Ready-to-eat salad greens are packaged in what is called a "modified atmosphere," and that is all the preservative that is needed besides refrigeration. The air in the bag is a very specialized mixture. Most of the oxygen has been removed. Because most bacteria need oxygen, taking it out keeps them from growing. A little oxygen is left to prevent botulism bacteria from growing. They only grow where there is no oxygen, so just enough is left to stop them. In place of oxygen there is some carbon dioxide, to help stop the growth of bacteria. Removing oxygen and adding carbon dioxide also help to keep the lettuce and other veggies from turning brown. They would normally start to brown as soon as they're cut. But the enzymes that cause browning require oxygen, too. So getting rid of oxygen makes the greens look good and keeps them safe. The rest of the gas is nitrogen. It's there mostly to fill up the bag. You've probably noticed that the bags are slightly puffy. They're puffed with extra carbon dioxide and nitrogen to help protect the lettuce and other leaves from getting squashed. Of course, as soon as you open the bag, all the special gas is gone. Even though you seal it tightly when you're done, the air in there now is regular air, with plenty of oxygen. So the leaves will brown quickly. If there are bacteria on the greens, they could start to grow. While an unopened bag will keep for days, an opened bag needs to be used quickly. Keep it refrigerated, and use it by the recommended date on the bag. - See more at: http://www.tbo.com/dining/the----on-bagged-salad-mix-301632#sthash.yLuGa5wa.dpuf
Chrissy, that was a wealth of information! The lady in the store was all wet, I can see that now. Thanks for this knowledge and I'm sorry to have scared you.