Dole has recalled over 5,000 bags of its salad mix due to the lettuce in the bags possibly being contaminated by e. coli. A bag of the salad mix that tested positive for e. coli was sold in Canada. The same lettuce, however, was used in bags that reached 9 US states.
The latest recall affects packages sold in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada and in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee starting around Sept. 8, said Marty Ordman, a Dole spokesman.
Consumers should be aware, and not use any bags that have a best if used by date of September 19. This outbreak follows last year’s spinach scare. In the wake of that, many thought government regulators would increase inspections, especially in California, which was the source of the last outbreak (and perhaps this one, as well). However:
A recent Associated Press investigation found that government regulators never acted on calls for stepped-up inspections of leafy greens after that outbreak, and regulations governing farms in the fertile central California region known as the nation’s “Salad Bowl” remain much as they were.
Once again, the only way to truly protect ones family from contaminated food is to thoroughly wash it and not to rely on government inspectors.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.
