Giving your produce a shower prior to consuming is one of the best ways to prevent E. coli infection. A lot of people think that a pre-washed bag of lettuce can go straight into the salad bowl! If this is your thinking, we urge you to reconsider.

Yesterday, a package of Dole salad mix tested positive for E. coli.

Other things to consider:

• Wash fruit even if it has a peel or rind - touching the rind with your hands or knife can contaminate the fruit inside.
• Don’t use soap – excess soap residue can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal distress.
• Don’t use chlorine bleach – it is poisonous.
• Don’t be fooled – food contaminated with E. coli may not look or smell spoiled.

Symptoms take a few hours to up to 10 days to appear, and include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and bloody diarrhea. Potential complications of infection with certain types of E. coli, such as O157:H7, include destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia) and acute kidney failure.

The best thing you can do for your lettuce is to keep it cold until use and shower it with running water!

Visit Healia for more information on E. coli.