Behind the convenience of pre-packaged salad greens lurk danger and environmental costs

by  Laura Beaulne-Stuebing

It’s sitting on your plate, lightly seasoned with balsamic vinaigrette. Beside the brown rice and tofu, this salad is a part of your healthy dinner. It was easy to include it in your meal – all you had to do was open a plastic bag or container. Buying packaged salad mixes is a convenient and affordable way to make sure you’re getting the 5-10 servings a day that Canada’s Food Guide calls for.

But where, you might ask, does this mix of leafy greens come from? And how could it possibly be a danger?

Packaged salad mixes have exploded in popularity in the past few years. Their convenience can’t be argued. Who has time every night to wash, dry, and chop up enough vegetables to make a salad? Instead, with one easy scissor cut, we can enjoy the benefits of our greens without all that washing and chopping.

As packaged salad’s popularity has grown, however, so have incidences of E. coli poisoning. In 2005, Dole Food Co. issued a recall of its bagged Classic Romaine, American Blend, and Greener Selection in the United States, which were associated with severe cases of E. coli. 1

And just a few days ago on Sept. 16, 2007, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a warning that Ready-to-Eat Dole brand Hearts Delight lettuce salad should not be eaten as it may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli bacteria.

In September 2006, three people died and 200 became sick in the US after eating bagged spinach from Missions Organics Growers, a spinach producer in Salinas, California. Food investigators linked the outbreak to contaminated river water from a nearby cattle ranch. 2

And earlier this year, Health Canada issued a warning about the risks of eating sprouts – which have been found as the cause of recent E. coli poisoning. Health Canada states, “fresh produce can sometimes be contaminated with harmful bacteria while in the field or during storage or handling. This is particularly a concern with sprouts” just as it is with bagged salad. 3

Research is underway to find out why and how salad greens become contaminated. Since, as the packages say, the lettuce is washed, washed again, and then washed a third time, it’s uncertain why the poisoning happens at all. Food studies show E. coli can stick tightly to produce. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, it is possible to wash some of the E. coli off the surface of produce but, if the plant is contaminated during the growing process and the bacteria are in the root system or in the plant itself, no amount of washing will work. Only cooking will guarantee safety. 4 

Is nothing safe?

Environmental considerations

Even if experts tell us to be careful and to wash our bagged lettuce at home anyways, what does this little pile of mixed greens do to me and the planet? Aren’t there other ways to protect ourselves?

Consider where your packaged iceberg mix comes from. In most cases, it’s grown in California or Arizona – the two states that produce almost 100 percent of US lettuce – and then packaged in California. 4

Consider what type of farm and farming methods are used. The leafy greens on your plate are likely from a large, corporate owned farm, located in a stretch of large corporate owned farmland – probably down-stream from a cattle ranch.

Also consider the herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides used to grow that lettuce, or spinach. Although fertilizers and pesticides aren’t linked to E. coli poisoning, they’re been associated with cancer and other diseases. 5  

The USDA calls bagged salads “more a manufacturing than an agricultural enterprise.”

Consider the travel time between the field in California and your grocery store. The longer the distance, the more time for contamination or for the greens to turn sour. Not only could your spring mix be stored too warm in that transport truck traveling across the US, but that transport truck is emitting a lot of greenhouse gases.

And consider how the greens are processed and sold. They’re washed and sterilized with 200 times the amount of chlorine you find in your tap water – to prevent bacteria that may cause diseases (does anyone notice the irony here?) They’re packaged in plastic with a process called Modified Atmosphere Packaging to retain shelf life and keep the lettuce a consistent, uniform commodity. 6

When they reach the store, they're scanned at the checkout with a UPC code like any packaged food. Other fruits and vegetables don't have a barcode; their quality, size and look varies. Consequently, the USDA calls bagged salads “more a manufacturing than an agricultural enterprise.” 7  And it is a dangerous, polluting, and growing enterprise.

That’s where your salad comes from.

Solutions

You’ve lifted your fork, stabbed at a leaf, and now bring it towards your mouth. Before you bite down, you think, “do I have options? What can I do to make sure my food is safe and healthy?”

We always have options. The simplest and easiest is: buy local and, if you can, buy organic. Organic, although not a regulated term, means that the food isn’t grown with pesticides – it’s chemical free!

True, unless you live in sunny California, finding local salad mixes isn't easy (unless you shop at a farmers' market). And truly organic food is a little pricier. But if you are concerned about what you eat and want to make sure you have the cleanest, freshest, and purest produce, local and organic is the way to go.

For convenience, you can prepare salad greens in advance, and store them in your fridge. Just break some leaves from a head of lettuce. Soak them in water, then spin them in a salad spinner. The resulting greens can be stored in the fridge in the salad spinner itself, or in a container.

You take a bite of your salad. Sure, it’s from California, but you’re not going to let it go to waste. You finish off your plate and consider. Maybe you’ll go to the local farmer’s market tomorrow.

More information

See our environmental section for more on the benefits of eating local and organic.
See related article: Spinach Epidemic: Controlling E.coli

Sources

1. “Food Borne Illness (Food Poisoning).” 2007. LawyersandSettlements.com. 25 July 2007 Link.

2. “Investigators trace spinach E. coli to cattle ranch in California.” 2007. Star Tribune. 24 July 2007 Link.

3. “Family hit as E. coli finds its way into salad mixes.” 2007. Star Tribune. 24 July 2007. Article no longer online.

4.  Kim Mulvihill, M.D. “New Food Cleaner Claims To Wash Away E. coli.” CBS. 1 Dec 2006 Link.

5. “Information Update: Health Canada Reminds Canadians about the Risks of Eating Sprouts.” 2007. Health Canada. 25 July 2007 Link.

6. Kirby, Sharon. “Ready–To–Eat Salads: Chlorine Washing and Modified Atmosphere Packaging Anyone?” 2007. EzineArticles.com. 25 July 2007 Link.

7. Glaser, Lawrence, Gary Lucier, and Gary Thompson. “Lettuce: In and Out of the Bag.” Agricultural Outlook April 2001. Economic Research Service/USDA. 24 July 2007 Pdf link.