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Salad Is Bullshit
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 2, 2010
Modified Feb 2, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 2, 2010
Modified Feb 2, 2010
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Consumer Reports Magazine ran tests
on "prewashed" and "triple-washed" salad greens sold in plastic clamshells or bags and found bacteria "that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination—in some cases, at rather high levels." Out of 208 containers representing 16 brands purchased at stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, 39 percent had "an unacceptable level" of total coliforms and 23 percent were heavy with enterococcus, as determined by "industry experts." Those two things sound like something you don't want to eat, and Google confirms that indeed they are!
The bacteria Enterococcus can cause urinary tract infections, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis, and meningitis, while coliforms "are abundant in the feces of warm-blooded animals," thus sprach Wikipedia. According to the report, national brands including Dole, Earthbound Farm Organic, and Fresh Express, plus regional and store brands, had at least one package with relatively high levels of total coliforms or enterococcus.
Ugh, we hit the salad bar almost every day and thought we only had to worry about the occasional "homeless guy squirting urine and feces" incident. [via The Awl]
Tagged
fecal matter
Feces
greens
report
salad
study
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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