Be it a pack of sprouts, salads or cut fruits—you can now diet over the counter. Though a convenient option, one might have to pay a bigger price on eating these supposedly healthy food items
Despite their health benefits, researchers fail to explain the reason behind an increase in the number of food borne illnesses caused by contaminated spinach, lettuce and other leafy vegetables. According to Dr Sakshi Chawla, nutrionist, Apollo Hospitals New Delhi, it is the processing and handling, which makes food unsafe. “In addition to the bacteria collected from soil, air and water, fruits and vegetables pass through more hands than ever before that may further contaminate them. These days more and more fruits and vegetables are being imported. It adds days of transit time along with objectionable standards of care and storage,” explains Chawla.

Consumption of such adulterated food can do much damage to an individual’s system. According to a recent study by the researchers at the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, two bacteria, Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E coli), are usually responsible for contamination of packaged sprouts and leafy greens. “The Salmonella bacteria survive in acidic fruits or vegetables like tomatoes. It is an intestinal microbe that lives in the soil of incompletely composted manure from wild or domesticated animals. If the contaminated produce is not washed thoroughly, Salmonella that is still clinging to its surface can spread to the inside during slicing or cutting,” said the study. They also found that it might enter the seeds of a plant before germination and grow within it.

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