Discussions

Check where your romaine lettuce was grown. Found out the package I bought from Superstore was from the area affected. SALANIS, CALIFORNIA.  
 
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/public-health-notices/2019/outbreak-united-states-e-coli-infections-romaine-lettuce.html#a4

Don't get me wrong, I love my greens  
But all these recalls are getting ridiculous  
 
Guess I'll have to eat more bacon

Why is this a recurring problem? If the fertilizing practices are problemetic they should change them. I'd be interested in knowing the practices of different brands so I can support responsible operators.

Best thing that you can do to reduce the risk from lettuce , bagged salads and the like is to wash it under cold running water. The action of running water will remove contaminants . Source: Dr Clare Rowson, Western Producer.

There was an article on CBC about why it's hard to contain, and why lettuce is more at risk than some other foods:  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/romaine-lettuce-e-coli-food-safety-1.5372926

My cattle are not given growth promotants or hormones (although the hormones are safe I just don’t like the idea) . I only use antibiotics to treat an ailment with my vets direction and following proper withdrawal periods , this is for the welfare of the animal. I don’t retail meat to the consumer because regulations make the cost too prohibitive

Understand your reasons for buying greenhouse grown lettuce etc but are you aware that this product is grown under some of the most unnatural man made conditions possible and it does not necessarily make the lettuce any safer. I would personally prefer field or garden grown salads and just wash it properly before consumption. And the carbon footprint of green house grown product is high due to the need for artificial heat, light etc.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2019-12-02 19:02:47

Followed the link posted and found this info.  
 
Edited by Cappie, 2019-12-02 19:18:42

Don't eat the bacon if it's green!  
 
I was looking for romaine or lettuce in the store mentioned and couldn't find any at all. I was able to find lettuce, but no romaine, at another store.

Thanks for posting.  
E. coli is a very common bacteria and found in the gut of warm blooded animals and also in birds. The 0157 strain is one that is dangerous to some people, in others it will only cause flu like symptoms.  
It is common on many vegetables, but most are not eaten raw so part of the danger is removed, one thing that does throw me is contaminated spinach leaves, some information states that washing doesn’t help.  
Treating water to make it safe takes a certain level of chlorine, and a sink full of cold water and the right amount of chlorine can be used if one wants to go to the bother and time, some people might think that you will end up with greens that taste like chlorine, but a few minutes rinsing under cold water takes care of that.

Fair enough then .

I think we should pressure Justin to cut off all aid to Romania...….  
 
until they fix this issue with their lettuce.  
 
sarcasm off

That is funny... on more than one level.

There has been so much hype about hormones given to cows but it is just distracting from other real problems. Check out this link, just copy and paste it.  
www.saskbeef.com/uploads/6/1/4/6/61465393/hormon  
es-sk.pdf

It is the Origin that is important when you go to buy Lettuce. If it doesn't say origin even the country of origin don't buy it. Washing it even thoroughly doesn't get rid of all the E-coli.  
 
(ignoring beef comments; as we are talking about lettuce)  
 
Watched documentary on this. Human contamination is the highest source of contamination from the southern areas of the USA who grow lettuce.  
 
The farmers hire migrant workers as they are cheap. They don't offer any breaks, expected to work long hours or they don't get paid and do not have any type of toilets at all for them to use. And you consider the acres. This is very difficult.  
 
The workers are in reality forced to go to the washroom right out in the field and there is the spread of E-coli.  
 
This is not the fault of the workers; it is the fault of the employers.  
 
I challenge anyone to work a 12-16 hour day and not go to the washroom at all during that entire time. If you can do that, then you can blame the workers.  
 
For myself, I think the conditions they work under are atrocious.

The investigation is still ongoing in the US (article below dated Dec. 11), and people are still being told to avoid lettuce from the same region as previously stated. There is also a number to check for and unlabeled lettuce even in mixes is to be avoided. It's just not something to be flippant about.  
 
This is about the recall in the US, but I imagine if it is still making it's way up here, it is best to avoid it. Make sure to check place of origin.  
 
https://draxe.com/health/2019-salad-recall

My daughter was going to buy some I said no that’s been recalled the checkers said they would pull off the shelf, if it was recalled.....yeah right!!!!

You could avoid a lot of the recall issues and the carbon footprint issues etc if you ate things that were more in season. Greens are a spring/early summer crop, very plentiful in the early part of the growing season. You eat your fill of it for 3-4 months, then move on to something else.  
 
I'm not saying never eat imported produce, but if we were a little more conscious about seasonality and food miles/footprint, it would virtually eliminate things like this.