Spinach Fiasco
The recent news about California grown spinach, with (at last count) at least 150 people being sickened by E. Coli, and a Wisconsin woman DEAD, is unsurprising if you’ve been following trends in food distribution. Heartbreaking, yes, but unsurprising. The FDA simply does not have enough food inspectors on the ground to prevent things like this from happening…they can react to disasters, but that’s all. (Note that the United States Department of Agriculture has responsibility for the safety of our meat and poultry, and the Food and Drug Administration has responsibility for the rest of the food supply, a system that is more than 100 years old.)
Yanking spinach off of grocery store shelves has served to anger growers, and suggestions for solutions to the problem range from labeling spinach in the same manner that wine is labeled, with very specific origin information, to “more sanitary” mechanical harvesters. I’m not sure what exactly that means, but I think it means that they will use more liquid sanitizers on the equipment. Spray it with more chemicals, yes, that will fix it!
The outbreak has been traced to Natural Selection Foods, which processes spinach for over 30 brands of bagged salad, including Dole. A bag of Dole spinach was found in a New Mexico victim’s refrigerator, which tested positive for the E. Coli O157:H7, the strain responsible for the wave of sickness sweeping the country.
What should you do if you think you’ve eaten some tainted spinach? According to the CDC, nothing. At least at first. The incubation period for E. Coli is anywhere from 3-12 days. If you do develop diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea, see your doctor and request that a stool sample be tested for the bacteria. Do not take anti-diarrhea medication such as Imodium, and do not take antibiotics either.
E. Coli can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure. According the CDC’s data, about 8% of those who develop hemolytic uremic syndrome end up with other complications, including high blood pressure, paralysis, and blindness. So this is pretty serious stuff, folks.
To protect yourself, eat local! I know the allure of bagged salad’s convenience, but unfortunately, in this case, that ease of use could cost you; your good health or even your life could be the price. Try to buy spinach that is locally grown, and wash it well if you plan to eat it raw. E. Coli is killed at 160°F, and since water boils at 212°, blanching spinach for a few minutes in boiling water will kill it.
I’ll be watching with great interest what steps the FDA and mega-growers will take to prevent future outbreaks. In the meantime, buyer beware!
I would actually think that “more sanitary mechanical harvesters” means they will use machines instead of people to harvest.
Today much of the crop is hand-harvested as that keeps the crop from being damaged and gives them more control over exactly what is picked.