Posted on 09/15/2006 7:52:47 AM PDT by Froufrou
An outbreak of E. coli in eight U.S. states has killed one person and sickened dozens of others, prompting federal health officials to warn consumers nationwide not to eat bagged fresh spinach.
Food and Drug Administration and state officials do not know the cause of the outbreak, although raw, packaged spinach appears likely. "We're advising people not to eat it," said Dr. David Acheson of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Eight states were reporting a total of 50 cases of E. coli, Acheson said Thursday.
The death occurred in Wisconsin, where 20 people were reported ill, 11 of them in Milwaukee. The outbreak has sickened others — eight of them seriously — in Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. In California, state health officials said they were investigating a possible case there. The outbreak has affected a mix of ages, but most of the cases have involved women, Acheson said. Further information on the person who died wasn't available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wisconsin health officials alerted the FDA about the outbreak at midweek. Preliminary analysis suggested the same bug is responsible for the outbreak in all eight states. (Story continues below) ADVERTISEMENTSAdvertise Here The warning applied to consumers nationwide because of uncertainty over the origin of the tainted spinach and how widely it was distributed.
Health officials did not know of any link to a specific growing region, grower, brand or supplier, Acheson said. Amy Philpott, a spokeswoman for the United Fresh Produce Association, said that it is possible the cause of the outbreak won't be known for some time, even after its source is determined. "Our industry is very concerned," she said. "We're taking this very seriously."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Hi, DS! I love raw spinach salads, but I suppose your souffle having been cooked would eliminate any pathogens. I think E. coli doesn't do well at extreme [higher than body temp] heat.
Women eat spinach because of the iron.
Widespread infections, sounds like a particular supplier.
My guess is you're fine. It's raw spinach that is the problem.
I love spinach salad! I'm glad I haven't had one lately.
This is hugh! and series!
Strong to the finich, cuz I eats me spinach?
That country of origin label comes in handy.
I'm having to fight my mind from rambling on that thought...where it grows...bovine excrement...ewwww!
And lettuces, melons, etc. would be exempt??? Don't think so.
Another reason why I am a meat & potatoes man!
The solution is simple. Just don't buy spinach that is packaged in bags. I would never buy packaged greens anyway because I suspect they are subjected to some kind of chemical bath to keep them from deteriorating once they are in a sealed bag. Stick to regular spinach, sold without packaging, and wash it yourself.
Militant vegans everywhere are having a cow over this. E. coli is only supposed to infect meats, according to them.
Such as, countries to the south that use human sewage as fertilizer?
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There's nothing better than fresh spinach or lettuce right from the garden.
Doesn't spinach warn you by its bad taste that it should not be eaten?
LOL! It tastes completely different when picked from my garden. As does everything else.
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