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andrew
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 4495
Location: the raging sea
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 Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:19 am Post subject: Toss that bagged spinach! |
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E. Coli Outbreak linked to bagged spinach: 1 Dead so far.
| Quote: | WASHINGTON (AP) -- An outbreak of E. coli in eight states has left at least one person dead and 50 others sick, federal health officials said Thursday in warning consumers nationwide not to eat bagged fresh spinach.
The death occurred in Wisconsin, where 20 others were also sickened, said Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The outbreak has sickened others -- eight of them seriously -- in Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.
FDA officials do not know the source of the outbreak other than it appears to be linked to bagged spinach. "We're advising people not to eat it," Acheson said.
The outbreak has affected a mix of ages, but most of the cases have involved women, Acheson told reporters in a conference call. He had no further information on the person who died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wisconsin health officials alerted the FDA about the outbreak Wednesday. Preliminary analysis suggests the same bug is responsible for the outbreak in all eight states.
The warning applied to consumers nationwide because of uncertainty over the origin of the tainted spinach and how widely it was distributed.
Health officials do not know of any link to a specific growing region, grower, brand or supplier, Acheson said.
He said reports of infections have been growing.
"It's increasing by the day," Acheson said. "We may be at the peak, we may not be."
E. coli causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, although some people -- including the very young and old -- can develop a form of kidney failure that often leads to death.
Anyone who has become sick after eating raw packaged spinach should contact a doctor, officials said.
Other bagged vegetables, including prepackaged salads, apparently are not affected. In general, however, washing all bagged vegetables is recommended.
E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is linked to contamination by fecal material. It causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sources of the bacterium include uncooked produce, raw milk, unpasteurized juice, contaminated water and meat, especially undercooked or raw hamburger, the agency says on its Web site.
In December 2005, an E. coli outbreak sickened at least eight children in Washington state. Officials traced the outbreak to unpasteurized milk from a dairy that had been ordered to stop distributing raw milk.
Last October, the FDA warned people not to eat certain Dole prepackaged salads that were connected to an outbreak of E. coli infections in Minnesota. At least 11 people were sickened.
In 1993, a major E. coli outbreak sickened about 700 people and killed four who ate undercooked Jack in the Box hamburgers in Washington state. That outbreak led to tighter Agriculture Department safety standards for meat and poultry producers. |
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Xilonen
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
Posts: 465
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:23 am Post subject: |
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but... i LIKE spinach.  |
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Thy Brilliance
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 3213
Location: Relative
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| There's people that eat spinach raw?!?!? |
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Samsally
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 5315
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:35 am Post subject: |
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| Thy Brilliance wrote: | | There's people that eat spinach raw?!?!? |
Uhm, yeah... its good salad filler for people who get sick of iceburg lettuce. |
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Xilonen
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
Posts: 465
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:40 am Post subject: |
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| and i hope the suggestion is not that it should be consumed cooked.. |
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Samsally
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 5315
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:48 am Post subject: |
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| Or canned... eeew, green sludge. |
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Major Tom
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 7562
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:15 am Post subject: |
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raw spinach is awesome (sans the shit stains, of course)...anyone know why it's so susceptible to ecoli?
it's not the first outbreak i've heard of... |
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Uncle Benny
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 8124
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:44 am Post subject: |
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I just thought it had to do with the fertilizers.
I normally cook my spinach for consumption, garlic and salt, of course.
it's just a bit depressing when a giant bag of spinach turns into something that's contained in a small bowl after cooking. |
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Monkey Mcdermott
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 2725
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:59 am Post subject: |
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| I consume my spinach in a lightly tossed pasta, sauteed in butter and garlic, with hazel nuts, parmesan cheese, and tomatos. |
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Major Tom
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 7562
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:45 am Post subject: |
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spinache is a GREAT salad green (again, without the shitstain)...
...and actually i prefer all my leafy vegetables connected rather than separated and bagged - it speakes to freshness and logetivity far better than the nitrogen bag-gas does.
doesn't completely solve the contamination issue, though it does (in addition to the product-life benefits) keep you from being fool enough than to try and eat the product without thoroughly washing it. |
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Sojobo
Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 2393
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:06 am Post subject: |
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You're forgetting that it makes you strong to the finich!
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"To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others."
- Anne-Sophie Swetchine |
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Dusty
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 650
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:06 am Post subject: |
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_________________
"You should read your bibles sirs, you'll find all kinds of weird shit in there."
-Jay, Clerks II |
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mouse
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 15458
Location: under the bed
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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well, drat - i had a recipe i wanted to try this weekend that calls for fresh spinach - one cooks it in the recipe, so it should be safe - but i suspect it will not be available.
i generally don't buy spinach because i often get it in my vegetable box - roots and all, so i get to do the whole washing thing - it's ok, but it does take time.
drat these food-processing conglomerates, for getting me hooked on ease!
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aka: neverscared! |
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jwing
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 2089
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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If you go to your greengrocer's and get the stuff that's in the bin next to the lettuce, beets, carrots, etc. -- basically bag your own it's safe to consume raw, steamed, cooked, whatever. It's the prepackaged spinach that's verboten.
My favorite spinach recipe is to dump fried bacon on it (complete with grease), deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar until it reduces by half (stirring to get all the burnt bits), dumping *that* on the now wilted spinach, then sprinkling parmesean cheese on top. Mmmm. |
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Neraren
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 409
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Cooking doesnt kill E. Coli, just so you know. Dont think that its safe just cause you simmered it for a bit. |
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