Dec 22, 2020 08:09 AM EST
You Might Have Contaminated Food in Your Fridge, Here's How to Spot Them
(Photo : Luiza Nobre)
Detailed view of a freezer full with food, which works with a generator at Edmario Costa's bakery during a blackout due to fire in the Macapa substation on November 8, 2020 in Macapa, Brazil. The substation located in the North Zone of Macapa undergoes maintenance after a fire that has left 89% of the state of Amapa (about 765 thousand people) without electricity since Tuesday the 3rd. There is a lack of running water in the city and ATMs and card machines do not work and only gas stations with a generator are able to operate.

Storing perishable foods in your fridge is a lifesaver, especially if you are always under a time constraint. 

With the new normal that is evident in our present environment because of COVID-19, going out is risky even though vaccines are now available. That is why going to our local grocery store daily is a big "No" during this pandemic. 

Because of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, experts encourage everyone to reinforce the immune system and drink supplements so that our immune system can stay in its prime.

One natural way of doing this is by consuming vegetables rich in different nutrients that the body and the immune system need. 

Since these foods are perishables, putting them in a fridge is a must so that you don't have to drive to the store when you feel like eating them.

But did you know that there are greens that you need to get rid of in your fridge if you happen to have them because they possess certain risks?  

Read also: Is It Safe To Store Baked Potatoes in Aluminum Foil?

Remove them from your Fridge

Although vegetables have established their impression of superfoods, some munchies brands are associated with certain diseases if you happen to eat them.

Best Life reported that numerous E.coli contamination took place in the year 2020, and recalls have been issued by the authorities. 

Here are the vegetables you need to remove from your fridge, as mentioned by Best Life.  

Romaine Hearts

In a company announcement published by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it said the Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. voluntarily recalls a limited number of cases of its organic romaine hearts, alongside the Wild Harvest Organic Romaine Hearts with both harvested on-dates of 10-23-20 and 10-26-20. 

The announcement pointed out that the product's recall is due to the possible health risk of E. coli in the two products. Check your fridge and look for these dates so that you can dispose of it.  

Fresh Express Kit Caesar Supreme Salad Kits

(Photo : Justin Sullivan)
Pre-Packaged salad sits on the shelf at a Bell Market grocery store June 19, 2003 in San Francisco, California. Packaged salad which was near non-existent a decade ago has become the second fastest selling item on grocery shelves behind bottle water, overall the retail market for bagged salad is $2 billion annually.

Although this product comes in handy, Best Life also reported that Fresh Express did a similar voluntary recall to its Fresh Express Kit Caesar Supreme salad kits with the date Nov. 8 and product code S296.

The report noted that the product might also be contaminated with E. coli STEC o26 bacteria.  

Tanimura and Antle Romaine Lettuce  

The FDA announced that Tanimura & Antle also did a voluntary recall of its bagged single head romaine lettuce due to an E. coli contamination found during the tests in the state of Michigan, with the strain o157:H7. It is the one that causes a hemolytic uremic syndrome that can lead to kidney failure, which could be life-threatening. 

How do these produce get contaminated?

(Photo : Brent Stirton)
Farm laborers from Fresh Harvest working with an H-2A visa harvest romaine lettuce on a machine with heavy plastic dividers that separate workers from each other on April 27, 2020 in Greenfield, California. Fresh Harvest is the one of the largest employers of people using the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa for labor, harvesting and staffing in the United States. The company is implementing strict health and safety initiatives for their workers during the coronavirus pandemic and are trying a number of new techniques to enhance safety in the field as well as in work accommodations. Employees have their temperature taken daily and are also asked a series of questions about how they feel. Despite current record unemployment rates in the U.S. due to COVID-19-related layoffs, there have been few applications to do this kind of work despite extensive mandatory advertising by companies such as Fresh Harvest.

According to Medicine Net, the one to blame is the tainted irrigation water. 

Business Insider further noted that the dangerous strain of E. coli that the authorities are trying to control is the one that can cause bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and kidney failure.

It added that it only means that the leaves of the romaine lettuce have poo in it that comes from the livestock on the farm close to where the lettuce grows. 

Business Insider said the contamination could also come from people who touch the lettuce before it goes to the consumers' mouths.

If you happen to have these foods in your fridge, consider throwing them away as they may cause serious trouble for you and your family. 

Related article: Too Lazy To Wash Your Produce? Study Says Not Doing So Is Dangerous

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