A doctor’s warning to those who usually buy bagged lettuce

Dr. Isabel Viña, a physician and science communicator, has issued a message to those who often buy bagged lettuce or salad, a format common to most shoppers in the United States and a growing trend in European countries like Spain.

The health risks living inside your bagged lettuce and salads

“If you buy bagged lettuce, even if it says it’s washed, wash it yourself,” read a warning from Dr. Viña in reporting from the Huffington Post that was originally published in Spanish.

Washing the lettuce is the only way to eliminate the “traces of bacteria, including listeria, as well as contaminants and microplastics,” that the expert argues have been found in bagged lettuce.

“So, ignore what the packaging says and clean it.”

Scientists in Mexico have also called attention to the health risks associated with bagged lettuce and bagged salads. One doctor claimed that of the food products tested in labs, those two were “among the top foods contaminated with Salmonella and/or Listeria.”

Salmonella and Listeria continue to pose a risk to public health in the US, while Europe reports much fewer cases

In 2024, the FDA issued more than twenty recalls of salad kits, many of which were pulled from shelves after they were found to be contaminated with Listeria, a food-borne illness. The US government has taken little action to improve safety standards and reduce the spread of food-borne illness.

Though the news may be concerning for a European audience, experts across the pond are far more confident in the regulatory apparatus that keeps consumers safe. Dr. Miguel Ángel Lurueña, an expert in food science and technology, assured buyers of these products that consumers can have confidence in their products “as long as the expiration date and storage temperature are respected.”

Meanwhile, expert Gemma del Caño emphasized: “These ‘ready to eat’ products have much stricter microbiological control requirements for obvious reasons (they are not going to be cooked).”

“These products can be harvested, washed, packaged (with a protective atmosphere, which is why they have a peculiar smell when opened), and be on supermarket shelves within 24-48 hours,” said del Caño, guaranteeing their safety. “Obviously, the risk is not zero, but we have a global, European, and national food alert network that informs us of any problems that may arise. Have you heard of any Salmonella alerts? Exactly,” she concluded, recommending, in any case, to check expiration dates and secondary shelf life (once opened).

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