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From Consumer Reports (January 27, 2020) followed by people who handle the greens, Rogers says.
By Kevin Loria
Soak your greens in vinegar. Microbiologist Carl Custer, who
Between 2006 and 2019, romaine lettuce and other leafy spent his career at the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety
greens, such as spinach and bags of spring mix, were involved and Inspection Service, says research shows that soaking
in at least 46 multistate E. coli outbreaks, according to the greens in vinegar or a vinegar-water solution will reduce
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most recently, bacteria levels but won’t kill all bacteria. Still, he advises
outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce in 2018 and 2019 have left dousing your greens with white vinegar and letting them sit for
many consumers worried about the greens in their salad bowl. 10 minutes, then rinsing. Your greens may be a little
vinegary-tasting, but most salad dressings contain vinegar
In a 2019 nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of anyway. Salad rinses are often designed to clean greens of dirt
1,003 Americans, 25 percent of those who were aware of the or chemicals, not bacteria, and are unlikely to kill harmful
2018 outbreaks said they eat lettuce less often now than bacteria.
before.
Cook your greens until wilted. This will kill harmful bacteria, but
But some experts point out that the overall chances of getting it’s a solution only for sturdier greens, such as spinach, kale,
sick from vegetables like leafy greens are still extremely low. collards, and Swiss chard. It’s especially important for people
“There’s generally a high level of safety around these food who are more likely to be seriously affected by food poisoning:
items, so we don’t want consumers to view these outbreaks as a the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with
reason not to eat fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Matthew compromised immune systems. “These people may want to
Wise, Ph.D., deputy chief of the CDC outbreak response and consider not eating raw leafy greens at all,” Rogers says.
prevention branch. So don’t give up salad. Instead, try these tips
from CR’s experts to improve the safety of the greens you eat. Stay informed. The Food and Drug Administration and
the Department of Agriculture (which regulates meat, poultry,
Consider buying whole head lettuce. Even though the data eggs, and some seafood) post outbreak information on Twitter;
show that whole heads of lettuce not labeled “washed” don’t you can follow them at @FDAfood and @USDAFoodSafety. On
necessarily have lower bacteria levels than packaged greens, both agency websites, you can also sign up for email alerts.
their inner leaves aren’t exposed to as many sources of
contamination and are not handled as much as greens that are Report any suspected food poisoning. If you think you got sick
bagged, which further reduces the opportunities for from food, contact your local health department and ask to
contamination. speak with the environmental health specialist or sanitarian. You
can also contact the FDA or USDA directly.
Keep packaged lettuce cold and eat it soon. “As you would with
meat and poultry, don’t let bagged lettuce stay out of the
fridge for too long, because bacteria multiply at room
temperature,” says James E. Rogers, Ph.D., CR’s director of
food safety research and testing. In addition, the longer lettuce
sits in bags or containers, the more opportunity bacteria have to
grow, so buy packages with expiration dates as far in the future
as possible and don’t buy more than you can eat in a few days.
If even a few leaves look damaged, slimy, or bruised, don’t eat
any of the greens in that package.

Consider buying hydroponic or greenhouse-grown
greens. These are less likely to be contaminated by bacteria
from animal droppings in soil or water, although they’re not risk
-free. Their cleanliness depends on the source of the water
used and whether proper food safety practices are

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