How to Avoid Food Poisoning From Contaminated Lettuce

 

Food Poisoning From Contaminated Lettuce

 

You can get food poisoning from eating contaminated lettuce. The lettuce is grown outdoors and traders can sell the lettuce unwashed. So, it is your responsibility to wash the lettuce before using it for consumption.

Food poisoning occurs when you eat food contaminated with an infectious organism such as listeria or E.coli bacteria.

For example, if the lettuce was exposed to animal feces during the growing or manufacturing process, it may contain infectious bacteria or viruses that will cause food poisoning.
 
Another source of contamination is the water with which lettuce is watered, which often circulates through open channels that cattle pass through, and that is where the contamination occurs, which " usually has a fecal origin ".

Contaminated Lettuce

After eating the contaminated lettuce, gastrointestinal symptoms and discomfort will appear within a few hours or up to 36 hours after consuming it. Initially, you may think you have indigestion, but as symptoms develop, it will become apparent that a more serious condition is developing.

Symptoms can appear suddenly and violently. The most common causes of lettuce food poisoning are harmless and do not cause long-term damage to the body.

Food poisoning is considered a serious condition in babies, the elderly, and people with disorders of the immune system.

In addition to the risks of contamination by the environment where the lettuce is grown, you can get food poisoning by eating lettuce that was contaminated, for example, when you cut the lettuce with a knife that you used to cut raw meat, and it became contaminated with bacteria of the meat.

Lettuce can also become contaminated if it is handled with hands that have not been properly washed with soap and water; from cutting boards, utensils, and other tools that have not been properly cleaned. You can also get food poisoning from lettuce that is rotten.

Symptoms of Lettuce Food Poisoning

Common symptoms of lettuce food poisoning include:

Stomach cramps
Abdominal pain
Watery diarrhea
Sickness
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Fever
Fatigue
 

These symptoms can last from one to 10 days after consuming the contaminated lettuce.
When to Get Medical Care for Food Poisoning
 

You should receive immediate medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Vomiting blood
Vomiting for more than two consecutive days
Severe diarrhea for more than three days
Fever over 38.7 ºC
Blood in the stool
 

Washing Method Before Eating Lettuce

The washing method you use before consuming the lettuce depends on how you get the lettuce and the type of packaging. When working with unpackaged lettuce, washing is always required. If you are working with prepackaged lettuces, you should carefully read the label to determine whether a product should be washed before consumption.

Ready-to-eat lettuces

These come in a sealed bag or plastic container labeled "washed", "triple washed" or "ready to eat", you do not need an additional wash before eating unless specifically stated on the label.

Unpackaged or Prepackaged Lettuces

Lettuces grew conventionally or organically at home bought from a store or at the farmers market, and prepackaged lettuces that are NOT labeled 'washed', 'triple washed' or 'ready to eat' must be washed before consumption.

The washing process is in a clean bowl with warm water, you must shake for 30 seconds, and then drain the water from the sink, rinsing until the sink is without sand. Now fill the bowl again with clean cold water and repeat the procedure two more times until there is no sand left in the bottom of the sink as the water drains.

 
Lastly, drain in a colander and then wipe with a clean cloth or paper towel to reduce any bacteria that may still be present.

How to Prevent Lettuce Food Poisoning

To prevent food poisoning you should properly store and wash lettuce before consuming it.

For the correct handling of this food follow the following indications:

*Refrigerate immediately after purchasing.
*Store separately from foods such as raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
*Do not allow juice from raw meat, poultry, or seafood to drip onto packaging.
*Putting the lettuce under cold water removes any excess residue.
*Wash your hands with soap and hot water.
*Use utensils that have been properly washed and dried.source source (1)
 

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