Growing a safe salad

By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD
    UConn College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
    Home and Garden Education Center 

Year round farmers markets are already selling early spring greens to those of us who have been craving the fresh, locally grown stuff during the long winter months. The use of greenhouses, cold frames and hoop houses are and other season-extending contraptions make it possible for Connecticut farmers to satiate the growing appetite for lettuce, spinach and arugula as early as February. Even home gardeners, eager to get their growing season under way before the last killing frost are using cold frames and row covers.

As the first of our favorite greens begin to show up in our gardens and farmers markets, it is a good time to refresh the memory regarding the need to handle them with a bit of care and good sense. Greens have developed a bit of a reputation for being the source of some pretty nasty foodborne disease outbreaks.

In 2009, the Center for Science in the Public Interest published its most recent report of foodborne illness outbreaks based on outbreak information reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from 1998-2007. The report identified produce as the source of 684 outbreaks involving 26, 735 cases of illness.  Produce dishes, including salads, were implicated in 345 outbreaks involving 11,667 illnesses. Most of us were quite aware of the outbreak resulting from bagged spinach in 2006. But other lettuce greens have been implicated in outbreaks as well. As a result, in the summer of 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration drafted guidance for the industry aimed at minimizing the microbial food safety hazards of leafy greens. Key elements of the guidance document include: 

• "An acceptable baseline standard of industry practices that help both domestic and foreign firms minimize the risk for microbial contamination of their products throughout the entire supply chain;
• Recommendations regarding growing, harvesting, packing, processing, transportation, and distribution of the product; and
• Recommendations for recordkeeping, including some that will help the FDA determine more quickly the source of outbreaks that do occur."

Lettuce and other greens are grown in the soil in the natural environment, near farm animals and wildlife. Norovirus, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, which can come from water and soil contaminated with animal waste, are all microorganisms that cause foodborne disease outbreaks associated with fresh greens.

While there is no way to guarantee that produce is always free from contamination, there are things that the home gardener and the home cook can do to reduce your risk of illness from fresh greens.

Since 1998, the United States Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture have encouraged produce farmers to follow guidelines developed to help reduce the risk for illness from fresh produce. These guidelines are called, "GAP", which means Good Agricultural Practices. Talk to your local produce farmer or look for labels that might tell you if the produce you are choosing was grown and harvested following GAP guidelines. Growers that follow GAP guidelines review their on-farm food safety practices during growing harvesting, processing and transporting of fresh produce including:

• Application of manure (use of composted or treated manure, how it is applied)
• Irrigation water (what is the source, is it protected)
• Worker hygiene practices (hand washing, toilet habits, sickness policies)
• Sanitation practices (keeping harvesting tools clean, washing storage areas)

Home gardeners would do well to follow these guidelines on a smaller scale. Pay attention to the source of the water you use in your garden. Use only well composted manure and compost. Wash hands before harvest and use clean harvest bins.

Farmers participating in the GAP program are doing the best job they can to include preventive steps that help produce safer spinach and arugula. However, food safety is still everyone's responsibility. You need to handle leafy greens safely at home, by making it your habit to do the following:

• Choose greens that are not bruised or damaged.
• Keep in mind that organic greens are just as likely to be contaminated with bacteria or other microorganisms as conventionally grown produce.
• Refrigerate or chill fresh greens immediately after harvest or purchase.
• Wash hands with warm water and soap before and after handling fresh greens - at home or at pick your own operations.
• Wash fresh greens with cool tap water just before eating. DO NOT use soap or detergents. Air dry or dry with a paper towel. Don't cross-contaminate. Always wash and sanitize cutting boards, counters, utensils and dishes that come in contact with raw meat, fish or poultry before using to prepare fresh produce.

There is some disagreement regarding the need to wash greens that might be bagged and labeled as "triple washed" or "cold water washed." Some argue that it is always a good idea to wash bagged greens before eating. After all the big spinach outbreak was from bagged spinach. Others worry that the consumer is more likely to re-contaminate clean greens when washing at home. It is your call. If the bagged greens I buy are very fresh and there is no sign of decayed product, I do not wash them. But, if there are signs that some of the stuff is mushy or decayed, I pick through it and wash the rest under cold running water. (I wish some of the restaurants I go to would do that instead of opening a bag and throwing it on the plate without regard for the fact that some of the greens have seen better days!)

For more information about the safe handling of fresh greens and other produce, contact the Home and Garden Education Center at 860.486.6271 or visit the website at: www.ladybug.uconn.edu.