Pre-Washed Vegetables Can Still Carry Some Nasty Bacteria

It wasn’t that long ago we reported on a story that said you shouldn’t pre-wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Who knew? Now we find that pre-washed vegetables often aren’t and that you SHOULD wash them.

New findings from the University of California-Riverside, reveals that the spinach you bought at the store that claimed to be pre-washed really isn't clean. In fact, they discovered that bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella can survive even after the bleaching process used in food processing plants due to the folds and contours that spinach leaves have.

The researchers report is less than encouraging indicating that, "Following rinsing under the low bleach condition, upwards of 90 percent of adhered bacteria were observed to remain attached to and survive on the leaf surface." YUCK!

Unfortunately, those bacteria also tend to multiply and spread. It's so bad that another food safety expert tells Yahoo Health he won't eat raw spinach due to the risks involved.

The CDC says that about 17 percent of Americans become ill and 3,000 die every year from food-borne diseases. (Newser)

Bottom line: Take responsibility for your own health!