Eat at Your Own Risk

The danger: Leafy greens—including cut lettuces and spinach—have been responsible for several outbreaks of disease and product recalls in recent years. One of the biggest scares was the 2006 E. coli outbreak that was eventually linked to bagged spinach that sickened 199 people and was implicated in three deaths. There are many ways that bacteria like E. coli or salmonella can infect produce—from infected animal feces that infiltrate the water or soil or from handling procedures during the picking or packaging. In most situations, washing the produce will not wash away the risk.



The safer solution: "Packaged greens are not more likely to carry contamination, but it is possible that you could have less likelihood of contamination if you properly prepare a head of lettuce than if you bought it pre-packaged," says Doyle. He suggests that head lettuce, such as iceberg or romaine, is most likely to be contaminated on the outer leaves, so it's possible to remove those outer leaves, wash your hands, cutting board and knife, then prepare the rest of it. In the case of leaf lettuce and spinach, it's all equally exposed to contamination, so there isn't much you can do to minimize your risk.