CR's take
		Eat fresh spinach only if you can verify that it was not grown in any of these three California counties: Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara. Spinach grown there is often packaged in other areas of the country. Throw out any fresh spinach or foods containing fresh spinach if you're not sure where it was grown. Processed spinach (frozen or canned) has not been implicated in the current outbreak. If you've eaten fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products and believe you may be ill, contact your health-care provider immediately. Always wash produce thoroughly before eating, including bagged salad mixes or other bagged produce-even if it's labeled "prewashed" or "triple-washed." This can reduce but doesn't eliminate the risk of bacteria. Consumers Union recommends establishing a single federal agency to set up-to-date food-safety standards, enforce them, and carry out safety research. For more information, read this 2001 column by CU president Jim Guest.

An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in numerous states and one case in Canada has been linked to the consumption of fresh spinach grown in three California counties: Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara. As of Sept. 26, 2006, five companies had issued nationwide recalls of their products in response to the outbreak.

As the story continues to evolve, you can visit these Web sites for information and ongoing updates: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. We'll also continue to offer the latest information about this issue on our new safety blog, Consumer Reports on Safety.


About E. coli

E. coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, though it can also cause nonbloody diarrhea or no symptoms at all. While most healthy adults typically recover within a week, certain people--particularly young children and the elderly--can develop a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) that can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. The current outbreak has included more than two dozen cases of HUS and one death.


Not the first time

This isn't the first outbreak of illness linked to bagged produce. Dole voluntarily recalled some 250,000 bags of prepackaged salad in 2005 because of possible contamination with E. coli bacteria. Without admitting fault, Dole recently settled four lawsuits and an undisclosed number of claims from consumers who complained of stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, or, in one case, acute kidney failure after eating the bagged salads.

When Consumer Reports recently tested bagged salads, it found that one out of the 62 bags harbored a detectable level of generic E. coli, which can indicate contamination with fecal material but isn't necessarily hazardous to your health. (E. coli O157:H7, the source of the current outbreak of illnesses, is the best-known hazardous strain.)