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How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

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Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#21

Post by wwweston »

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #12
bluGill wrote: post #9

Not mentioned is that organic farming doesn't allow irradiation which would kill e-coli. Everybody looks for organic foods thinking they are better but the truth is organic doesn't mean either.

In what way would irradiation make a food not-organic? I believe you, it seems stupid enough to be true.

Probably depends on what your definition of "organic" is (I mean, isn't nearly all food organic?).

I'd imagine many people are coming at it as something like "not produced or processed via industrial processes." And irradiation would probably be considered an industrial process.

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#22

Post by athenot »

rdtsc wrote: post #5

> Leafy vegetables were also the second most common cause of food poisoning-related hospitalizations. I never quite got to like lettuce. I don't know why people like it. It just doesn't have much taste, its leaves are too big, so have to shove them in awkwardly. I'd rather have a salad with chopped ripe tomatoes, onions / chives, cucumbers, cabbage, etc. Even with those, I often wonder if people don't eat more veggie…

The lettuce readily available in American grocery stores doesn't have much taste, yes. But try some fresh Laitue, Bibb, Mâche, Endives or Arugula. There's a world of flavor in lettuce but as with most other things here we have a abundance of good-looking, large, bland lettuce.

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#23

Post by lr4444lr »

rdtsc wrote: post #5

> Leafy vegetables were also the second most common cause of food poisoning-related hospitalizations. I never quite got to like lettuce. I don't know why people like it. It just doesn't have much taste, its leaves are too big, so have to shove them in awkwardly. I'd rather have a salad with chopped ripe tomatoes, onions / chives, cucumbers, cabbage, etc. Even with those, I often wonder if people don't eat more veggie…

American lettuce mixes are actually pretty unique for how tasteless they are compared to the availability of edible greens in nature. If you were to make a salad of, say, arugula, endive, radicchio, and various leafy herbs like basil and oregano, you'd have quite the taste sensation.

Add a simple vinaigrette to that, and tell me when to show up for dinner.

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#24

Post by felipellrocha »

athenot wrote: post #22
rdtsc wrote: post #5

> Leafy vegetables were also the second most common cause of food poisoning-related hospitalizations. I never quite got to like lettuce. I don't know why people like it. It just doesn't have much taste, its leaves are too big, so have to shove them in awkwardly. I'd rather have a salad with chopped ripe tomatoes, onions / chives, cucumbers, cabbage, etc. Even with those, I often wonder if people don't eat more veggie…

The lettuce readily available in American grocery stores doesn't have much taste, yes. But try some fresh Laitue, Bibb, Mâche, Endives or Arugula. There's a world of flavor in lettuce but as with most other things here we have a abundance of good-looking, large, bland lettuce.

That's largely a problem in the US. All produce looks really good, but are all noticeably bland when compared to produce you can find in other countries.

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#26

Post by panarky »

So what can the salad eater do to be safe?

Some pathogens can't be washed off. Others can if you scrub, but not if you rinse.

If you buy the whole head, pathogens can hide in the core. And if you buy pre-cut bagged salad, how can you wash that?

What if you drench the salad in vinegar before eating it, will that kill E. coli O157:H7?

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#27

Post by makr17 »

gowld wrote: post #18
SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In what way would irradiation make a food not-organic? I believe you, it seems stupid enough to be true.

USDA rules aside, how would you define "organic". It's a rather ... synthetic concept to begin with.

Contains carbon?

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#28

Post by petre »

gshakir wrote: post #19

In South Asian countries, veggies are cooked throughly and that has brought out some exciting dishes. Eating uncooked food is always a risk.

You can also steam them if you don't want the taste to fade away by boiling or frying. But I always appreciate a good curry.

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#29

Post by vermontdevil »

athenot wrote: post #22
rdtsc wrote: post #5

> Leafy vegetables were also the second most common cause of food poisoning-related hospitalizations. I never quite got to like lettuce. I don't know why people like it. It just doesn't have much taste, its leaves are too big, so have to shove them in awkwardly. I'd rather have a salad with chopped ripe tomatoes, onions / chives, cucumbers, cabbage, etc. Even with those, I often wonder if people don't eat more veggie…

The lettuce readily available in American grocery stores doesn't have much taste, yes. But try some fresh Laitue, Bibb, Mâche, Endives or Arugula. There's a world of flavor in lettuce but as with most other things here we have a abundance of good-looking, large, bland lettuce.

Its like tomatoes. Store bought tomatoes taste bland. Big difference than growing your own in the backyard. Juicy and thick!

Re: How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

#30

Post by TheCapn »

panarky wrote: post #26

So what can the salad eater do to be safe? Some pathogens can't be washed off. Others can if you scrub, but not if you rinse. If you buy the whole head, pathogens can hide in the core. And if you buy pre-cut bagged salad, how can you wash that? What if you drench the salad in vinegar before eating it, will that kill E. coli O157:H7?

What I've heard (and I'm only citing unverified word of mouth) is that E.Coli is within the leaf itself, it comes from the water it used. You cannot wash it off or clean it. An infected head of lettuce is garbage.
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