Debate rages on safety of pre-cut produce, bagged salads

The ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to pre-cut and pre-packaged Romaine lettuce is intensifying the debate on the safety of processed produce.

At least 23 people in four states have reported E. coli poisoning after eating pre-packaged or pre-cut Romaine lettuce. A dozen have been hospitalized, and three have suffered a type of kidney failure.

The contaminated lettuce has been recalled from 23 states – all in the eastern U.S. – and the District of Columbia. It has been traced to a single grower based in California, which operates a growing farm in Yuma, Ariz. One more distributor claims to have purchased some of the same lettuce, but said none of the product reached consumers. The only recall linked to this lettuce was announced on March 1.

The sicknesses have been reported from Michigan, Ohio and New York, and last week we reported on a new case in Tennessee. At least seven more cases need to be confirmed by officials at the Centers for Disease Control.

Unfortunately, recalls mandated by the Food and Drug Administration do not usually specify whether a whole food like produce is pre-packed, or pre-cut. Lettuce included in this most recent recall was available at retail locations across the eastern U.S., specifically at grocery stores serviced by wholesaler Freshway Foods. It was available in pre-packed bags and in prepared salads and at store salad bars.

Several recalls have been positively linked to pre-cut or pre-bagged leafy greens. A 2006 E. coli outbreak tied to bags of Dole spinach claimed five lives and sickened at least 238 people.

In the last few weeks, we also reported on the safety of pre-packed fruits and vegetables sold at local grocery stores in polarizing Philadelphia neighborhoods. In more affluent neighborhoods, residents had better acess to fresher fruits and vegetables and less pre-packaged produce. The less fortunate neighborhoods saw less whole foods and usually the only fresh fruits and vegetables available were already pre-cut or pre-mixed salads.

According to a study examining the safety of that produce, the pre-cut foods were highly more likely to be contaminated with any number of food-borne pathogens. The popularity of these products is clearly on the rise, with bagged salads out-selling heads of lettuce in the last ten years 2:1.