We’ve Got Your E. Coli
Or at least, the Souplantation in Lake Forest does.
According to this report on KABC’s website, seven people who ate there last week have been confirmed with the bacteria.
I am very curious as to what food was the common thread between these people. They’ve got to know, since I doubt that many people could have more than one or two common dishes between them.
Is it the spinach again?
Apparently, there is something very, very wrong with the food chain and the way these vegetables are being processed. You would think that with the last scare still quite fresh in people’s minds (so fresh that I haven’t bought bagged spinach since) they would really be on top of things.
Now, is more government intervention needed to ensure a safe food supply, or should we leave the industry alone to police itself?
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It could have been anything at Souplantation…their salad bar has 100+ items, plus there are 5-7 soups, a bunch of fresh fruit, baked goods, etc. All that said, it’s likely one of the veggies. e coli is tough to get out of lots of things, and even a good wash won’t help.
The e.colie outbreak with the spinach last summer was caused by fecal runoff from a nearby cattle lot. Obviously growers and restaurants need to ensure good cleaning procedures, but attention also has to be paid to the places that are the source of the bacteria–and plants don’t grow e.coli naturally.
Has anyone found out what this restaurant chain uses to clean their produce? If they only use water, how can we except to get rid of any bacteria. If you think about how we wash hands we use a soap type product; yet, we only rinse produce. Who is kidding who in this case? What happens when an employee just rinses their hands after going to the bathroom?