Lousy Lettuce?
A report in the March issue of Consumer Reports shines a scary light on bagged lettuce and other greens.
A study of 208 samples of 16 brands found that a whopping 39 percent had bacteria levels above 10,000 or more colony forming units per gram (CFU/g)—which the article says is what experts cite as unacceptable.
Brands included Dole, Earthbound Farm Organic, and Fresh Express. All were within their use-by-date, though the article said that less bacteria was found in bags that were farther away from the use-by date.
The article concludes by recommending:
1) That people buy lettuce and greens as far away from the use-by-date as possible.
2) That they rinse even pre-washed greens. Rinsing won’t get rid of all bacteria, the article says, but “may remove residual soil.”
