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Member10000
10-04-2005, 07:10 AM
Saw this in the news for anyone who buys these salads:

FDA Issues Warning on Dole Salads

From Reuters
Published October 4, 2005


WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid eating certain prepackaged salads made by Dole Food Co. because 11 people in the Minneapolis area were sickened this month by a serious food-borne illness linked to the products.

Two of the victims were hospitalized because of the E. coli 0157:H7 illness, which they may have contracted from the salads, the FDA said.

"Given the severity of this illness, the FDA believes an urgent warning to consumers is needed," the agency said. The FDA is investigating the outbreak with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials.

The 11 illnesses are linked to consumption of Dole prepackaged salads from a single grocery store chain, Rainbow Foods, in its Minnesota locations. However, the salad products with the same production codes were distributed nationwide, the FDA said.

The FDA said the affected products are labeled as follows:

• Classic Romaine, with a best-if-used-by date of Sept. 23 and a production code beginning with B250.

• American Blend, with a best-if-used-by date of Sept. 23 and a production code beginning with B250.

• Greener Selection, with a best-if-used-by date of Sept. 22 and a production code beginning with B250.

The FDA said that although it was unlikely that any grocery stores still had this product on their shelves, consumers might have it in their refrigerators. Consumers who have any of the three packaged salads listed should dispose of the product.

Westlake Village-based Dole said it was cooperating with the federal investigation and recalled the products involved.

"Our overriding concern is for consumer safety. We are working with the U.S. FDA, the Minnesota Department of Health and the California Department of Health Services to determine the source of the contamination," Eric Schwartz, president of Dole Fresh Vegetables unit, said in a statement.

Symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 include stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. The infection can be deadly for young children, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems or chronic illnesses.



Copyright © 2005, The Los Angeles Times

catharine
10-04-2005, 07:51 AM
Scary. Hungry! (or Hungry2 as she is now known) has been warning me about bagged salads for years. I have avoided them because of her advice. They are not as clean as you would hope, and this will probably have an impact on the industry.

jm1717
10-04-2005, 09:33 AM
My mom has been warning me about those bagged salads for years. She saw or read somewhere that they contain a lot of bacteria, some of which could be really harmful. Thanks for passing this along!

Apricot
10-04-2005, 02:47 PM
I had no idea bagged salads could be dangerous. Thanks for the info!

Member10000
10-04-2005, 04:39 PM
You can never be to careful with anything these days. I've used them occasionally (and always on the day I bought them because they tend to look old quickly) but I have always washed them in my salad spinner. I have a friend who uses them all the time and NEVER washes them. I have never eaten a green salad at her house. :eek:

Meg O'C
10-04-2005, 06:52 PM
Wow! Very interesting. I haven't used the bagged salad all summer because we've had such a nice supply of fresh lettuce from our CSA, but I do use it in the winter sometimes. I had read somewhere that the bagged salads are actually washed in an environment that is cleaner than your own home kitchen, and because most are triple washed, they are very safe (I think I read this in Prevention a year or so ago). I will probably avoid these in the future and sacrifice the convenience! Oh well - as Member pointed out, you can never be too safe!

KAnn
10-04-2005, 08:13 PM
Hmmm...I am considered to be almost fanatical about cleaning my fresh produce and I have also always understood that the bagged lettuce mixes were probably cleaner than anything washed in a home kitchen! Can anyone provide more info about this issue?