e-coli outbreak

HOLYSMACKDABARONI! that is the stuff that makes me cringe, about eating out. every time .
where was the outbreak, and was there a brand of bagged lettuce involved? plus, was it the imported stuff?
i use fresh only , but even as i am washing, i get this feeling of playing russian roulette. same with all produce....
thanks for the news, jack.

sorry it took so long to respond. had a really great event which means had a really big clean up.
nbc gave no brand name nor location on the today show sound bite friday.
i just went to my best food safety site www.cfsan.fda.gov and so far i haven't found what nbc was talking about.
i will say that there was a lot of buzz over the today show announcement at the earth day event we did but i am going to search the cdc and usda files when i get a chance.
for me until this one is solved i will take the ez course of no lettuce (never used the bagged kind myself either) and my stanadrd rinsing in a "fit" solution of cabbage for the slaw

They had mention of it on Dateline NBC tonight.It was Dole American blend and one other variety that had chopped romaine in it,I think.The outbreaks were in Minnesota.

just watched news... the outbreak has extended to 6 states so far! and is expected to get worse. they are not sure where the ecoli is originating. i think there is too much political stuff going on, by the sound of the news program. one scientist went to a grocery store,. bought a bag of salad mix, and tested it. it was positive for ecoli. however, the company claims there testing was wrong, and that the bag must have been contaminated from the outside(which is impossible) either way, there are no recalls as of yet, and the stuff is just hanging out there....
i just took salads off my specials list for now, and i am thinking of dropping them as well as any type of lettuce from my menu til after all this is over. i sure as heck dont want to take a risk, when i dont have to. just say no..heehee

my biggest concern is that they say to simply wash it before you eat it. hello!!!!!!!! it has been triple washed already, and still it is contaminated.... i dont think one or two more washes will do any good... its still gonna kill ya~

thanks kathye!!!
i almost thought that i had gone nuts on this one. so far my food safety links shows zip about this but on the good side it is not listed on the rumor site either.
the bad part about vegetable washes is they simply will not work on porrus type veg like lettuce,greens and more importanatly sprouts. nor will the work on fruit like strawberries or raspberry or black berries.
that being the case we have dropped lettuce for the time being but the slaw will stay on due to it's structure and the ability to use a veggie wash like fit.
i think when it all shakes out the production rule change allowing the coring of the lettuce in the field will be changed back to the old way.
coffee,
thanks for the 6 states heads up. what has me concerned is i can't find anything on the fda or usda or cdc sites so far. i know pulling lettuce got us some comments saturday doing earth day but like i told the few camoflaged hippies that were upset "i ain't never made anyone sick in 20 years and today ain't the day it's gonna start but i bet all the lettuce came from organicallyfertized field since human and cow internal tracts are loaded with e-coli. maybe you could teach the cows to wipe and wash "
we are doing a cancer benefit this weekend and there sure won't be any lettuce there since many of the participants are survivors with compromised immune systems. just not worth the risk. one nice thing tho was i had people thanking me for being concerned over their health when i explained the situation.

Just goes to show that "Triple Washed" doesn't mean anything...

Personally, I prefer just taking a little extra time and washing it thoroughly myself...you know what they say - if you want it done right...

you cant wash this stuff off. its in the soil, and the roots of the lettuce drink the virus. it grows inside the leaves. once there, it stays. problem is, they dont kow how it got there. they are even suspecting passing birds, plopping down some good ole contaminated poops.
or perhaps a passing deer, or other wild animal.
it is real scary that it has been hushed on the news. like the problem in puerto rico. my bro lives there and says it is real bad. there are insurgents there that want to over through the gov, and it is gonna be a real messy afair. but where is the news about it?>

I haven't heard anything up here about it; it was in MN you say?

I'd like to know what strain it was. When our young pigs break with e-coli scours it's usually the K99 strain. Some neighbors get K88. Poor milking sows not getting out enough colosturum (passive immunity) usually causes it.

I've never heard of any farmers or vets getting sick after handling and treating their livestock for e-coli. Seems funny it could from manure. I guess we're tough as nails.

I am pretty sure it was in MN.It was NBC Dateline. Perhaps on their site you could go online find something in the archives.I know I am not a professional.I did a sEarch on NBC dateline e coli and came up with seeveral info sources.It says center for disease control in Minneapolis is working with the growers of the lettuce in California.

here is the scoop from sept last year.... same company........

October 13, 2005
FDA Issues Nationwide Health Alert on Dole Pre-Packaged Salads

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a nationwide warning to consumers against eating certain pre-packaged Dole salad products because these products have been associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Minnesota. The affected products include three brand names and are labeled with "best-if-used by" dates, as listed below, and a production code beginning with "B250."

Illnesses have been associated with consumption of Dole salad products purchased from a single grocery store chain, Rainbow Foods, in its Minnesota locations. However, salad products containing the affected production codes are also distributed nationwide.

The three prepackaged salad products involved are:

Classic Romaine - with a "best-if-used-by (BIUB)" date of September 23, 2005 and a production code beginning with "B250."
American Blend - with a "best-if-used-by (BIUB)" date of September 23, 2005 and a production code beginning with "B250."
Greener Selection - with a "best-if-used-by (BIUB)" date of September 22, 2005, and a production code beginning with "B250."
The "best-if-used-by" code date can be located in the upper right hand corner of the front of the bag. While it is unlikely that stores still have this product on their shelves, consumers may have product in their refrigerators. Consumers who have any of the three packaged salads listed should dispose of the product.

"Given the severity of this illness, FDA believes an urgent warning to consumers is needed. FDA is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our state partners to further identify the source of the problem and its scope," said Dr. Robert Brackett, Director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

At this time, no other Dole salad products are involved and Dole Food Company has issued a recall for the implicated salad products. Dole is working cooperatively with the FDA to minimize any further risk to consumers.

E. coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps; sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea or no symptoms. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness resolves in five to ten days. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, in some persons, particularly children under five years of age and the elderly, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

To date there have been reports of eleven cases of illness attributed to E. coli O157 in Minnesota. Of these eleven cases, two individuals have been hospitalized. The latest reported illness was September 19, 2005.

Individuals who may have experienced any of the above symptoms after eating these salad products should contact their physician or local department of health
still look for the present alert....

I've noticed the local store where I do our personal shopping is posting a list as to how to wash and handle produce. At this point, it just seems to be "watch your butt, keep a list of your supplier" and as it should always be, KEEP IT CLEANED.
It had to start with poop. Make sure your employees wash hands on entering the establishment, after bathroom breaks and especially after they have been outside, wash all the fresh produce. I still am not sure on a good lettuce washing technique. We'll keep it off the menu until we find a good one. Document what you do.
Let me know what you discover.

Peggy