We're Scared Of Spinach
A recent survey by Rutgers University shows that September's spinach recall has left consumers wary of leafy greens. From Forbes:
Plummeting spinach sales have also prompted the produce industry to seek federal oversight to assure buyers that fresh produce is safe.Are you guys back to eating leafy greens? Bagged? Not bagged? —MEGHANN MARCO"We need to be in front of this to maintain consumer confidence," said Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, a leading trade group. "Consumers need to eat fresh produce and feel safe in their choices," he said.
A new national survey to be released Monday by Rutgers University suggests that the broad recall could have lasting effects on spinach and other similar vegetables. As a result, consumers felt uncertain and threw away other bagged produce that was not affected by the recall.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam malesuada commodo erat et molestie. Duis pellentesque aliquam bibendum. Suspendisse venenatis lobortis eleifend. Mauris id est sed lectus convallis aliquam.
Post a comment
Comments:
I eat lots of leafy greens, including spinach. Never stopped (except when they pulled it from stores, of course). The risk of dying or getting sick is extremely low, and it's just not worth the energy to make myself crazy about it. I already have to scrutinize ingredient lists because of actual allergies that I know will make me sick - that's enough to worry about.
I missed my spinach, and for a while the bagged salad mixes that had contained spinach. I eat lots of fresh veggies, leafy greens taking up a large share of the crisper in the fridge... I think the greatest effect the recall had on me was the realization that farming is really, just another corporate business.
What old time farmer would have turned a blind eye to the massive 'retention pond' of fecal matter just upstream of his irrigation source? Most small farmers I know would have been enraged by such a situation.
granted you can't do anything about the raw spinach you get at a restaurant, but at home this is not an issue because everyone washes their pre-bagged greens before eating them, right? even if it says, "ready to eat", right?
it amazed me during this scare that not once did i hear this sage advice - WASH YOUR GREENS!
I love how the price of spinach has plummeted since the scare and the wife and I have been taking advantage of it. There has been a scare like this for virtually every type of food in the past 10 years and to stop eating something after the recall has happened and the hubub has died down seems paranoid to me, especially considering the massive volume of food moving through the marketplace.
But, we're both ex-foodservice and we prepare our food carefully and clean produce thoroughly. We never heed the labels stating that whatever produce has been "thoroughly washed!" - we always was it ourselves.
I got caught up in the whole e. coli thing and trust me, it sucks. Stupid me with no insurance thought I could just sleep it off like typical food poisoning. By the time I realized what was happening the worst had passed. So, do I eat greens as much as I used to? Definitely not. I'm scared and scarred to wits end. BTW I bought the bagged orgainic kind. Maybe it was too organic...
I don't eat nearly as many greens as I should. That said, spinach is really the only option as lettuce has the tendency to... uh... well, back things up a bit.
While getting sick is really unpleasant, the risk of death is almost nonexistent for healthy persons. Still, I would like it if they started irradiating products that are typically consumed raw.
I just bought my first bag of bagged spinach since the recall. This isn't unusual, as I only buy a few bags a year. Interestingly, I got food poisoning the day after buying the spinach--but I haven't even opened the bag yet! Should I be asking someone for compensation? ;)
I also ate at Taco Bell during and after their e.coli scare, and truthfully I really miss their green onions. Any word on when they're coming back?
RoadDave follows the trail from the field to the top of your taco:
http://road-dave.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!15F30E7F138DBB88...
His thesis: as long as we're OK with substandard wages and working conditions for food industry workers, we'll always have a potential for poisons on our plate. Enjoy that tasty Kharma, it's very affordable.

















I never ate spinach much before, so this didn't really affect me. I never stopped eating other leafy green vegetables.