Salad Salmonella Warning

Salads are good for you, and pre-made, bagged salads are convenient, but be careful—even slight damage to greens in those bags can release juices that aid in the spread of salmonella.

Most salad greens are exposed to salmonella bacteria as they grow in fields, from sources such as insects, bird droppings, and manure. Although the leaves are presumably cleaned before being packaged, the juices produced by breakage also increase the bacteria’s ability to form biofilms, which helps the bacteria cling tightly to surfaces and makes washing them off more difficult.