US/Canadian Health Advisory: Do Not Use "Spring Mix" Salad Products

[Giancarlo]

Geez... I say take a chance in life. Don't be freaking out about everything. Spinach is better cooked anyways. When it comes to germs, this nation  is full of clean freaks. If they were consistent they'd be checking out restaurants like Ihop more closely... why anyone would want to eat there is beyond me.

[serious crayons]

My philosophy is, if people aren't getting sick from it, it doesn't matter. That's how I manage to shrug off those news reports about germs on keyboards and body fluids on hotel-room bedspreads. They might be gross, but humans evolved to be repulsed by things that might be harmful. If something's doing no harm, we don't have to worry about it.

But in the case of the spinach, people actually are getting sick, and the sickness can cause permanent organ damage or even death. As someone who got hepatitis in college, presumably from restaurant food, I can't take those things completely lightly.
 

[opinionista]

Geez... I say take a chance in life. Don't be freaking out about everything. Spinach is better cooked anyways. When it comes to germs, this nation  is full of clean freaks. If they were consistent they'd be checking out restaurants like Ihop more closely... why anyone would want to eat there is beyond me.

Well, Giancarlo here got a point. I know this e-coli outbreak is probably a serious one, but come on it is not like you can't survive without Spinach. My meaning is that sometimes this kind of warning are over sensationalized by the press. Ok, eating spinach is truly dangerous now, and I bet most kids are probably jumping with joy. However, from what I have seen the FDA is simply making a warning to avoid more cases. This is not a life or death situation, as the press is making it look like. So far there have been 114 victims distributed in 21 states and only one has died, according to CDC. This hardly makes it a major a health disaster. More people die in car accidents each day. CNN is now talking about the spinach e-coli mystery when it's well known that e-coli outbreaks are associated with improper handling at the plant, in transport or at the retailer. It's also associated with the use of certain fertilizers. This sort of reminds me of The Chicken Little tale. "The sky is falling!, the sky is falling!"

[nakymaton]

E. coli isn't usually fatal (complications can be, but they are relatively rare), but it is a miserable infection to get. Maybe it's an overreaction, but you know... those eight weeks my kid was home from daycare two years ago? They were bad. And though I couldn't get him to eat spinach now if I tried, I'm still glad to know to avoid it until the sanitation problems get solved. (E. coli mostly lives in the guts of cows, and then is spread by manure from infected cow and by feces of infected humans. So E. coli can be a problem with any kind of raw fruit or vegetable that 1) is grown on the ground or 2) is handled by people who don't (or aren't able to) wash hands adequately after using the toilet. So... well, I would like to see the problems dealt with. Because I don't want to deal with an infected kid again.)

[serious crayons]

I'd agree it probably gets overplayed a bit. The media tend to go overboard on stories that are novel.

But as someone who eats packaged spinach a LOT, and the brand I buy (Earthbound Farms) is one of the brands affected, and the state I live in is one of the states where people have gotten sick, I'm glad to be told about it. Everyone I've ever known who has experienced serious food poisoning has said it was a horrible experience. For the time being, I've switched to arugula.

I guess I'd rather see the spinach story overplayed than the JonBenet story or the latest blonde college girl disappearance or whether Brad and Angelina are going to tie the knot.

[delalluvia]

But in the case of the spinach, people actually are getting sick, and the sickness can cause permanent organ damage or even death.
 

Exactly.  And children and older people the immune deficient are the most strongly affected and likely people who are trying to look after their health by eating well.

Spinach can still be eaten - buy it frozen or canned and/or cook it.  If you're making a salad...well, stick with iceberg for a while.  Better safe than sorry.

[Giancarlo]

Well, Giancarlo here got a point. I know this e-coli outbreak is probably a serious one, but come on it is not like you can't survive without Spinach. My meaning is that sometimes this kind of warning are over sensationalized by the press. Ok, eating spinach is truly dangerous now, and I bet most kids are probably jumping with joy. However, from what I have seen the FDA is simply making a warning to avoid more cases. This is not a life or death situation, as the press is making it look like. So far there have been 114 victims distributed in 21 states and only one has died, according to CDC. This hardly makes it a major a health disaster. More people die in car accidents each day. CNN is now talking about the spinach e-coli mystery when it's well known that e-coli outbreaks are associated with improper handling at the plant, in transport or at the retailer. It's also associated with the use of certain fertilizers. This sort of reminds me of The Chicken Little tale. "The sky is falling!, the sky is falling!"

No kidding.. and besides cooked spinach is so much better then it being uncooked.... I'm really tired of some people in this country. I don't see a big deal like this one about car accidents. Besides car accidents kill 40,000+ a year in this country. I only see some fifteen second segment about rollovers, and then we have some spinach ecoli deal...

[serious crayons]

The explanation for that would be that car accidents have been happening in great numbers as long as there have been cars. So while it's bad that so many people get hurt or killed in them, it's not big news (though sometimes, of course, specific accidents are news).

People are not used to spinach being dangerous, so it is news.

It's the difference between a headline that says "Eating spinach can hurt people" and one that says "Car accidents can hurt people." The latter looks silly, because we already know that.

[opinionista]

The explanation for that would be that car accidents have been happening in great numbers as long as there have been cars. So while it's bad that so many people get hurt or killed in them, it's not big news (though sometimes, of course, specific accidents are news).

People are not used to spinach being dangerous, so it is news.

It's the difference between a headline that says "Eating spinach can hurt people" and one that says "Car accidents can hurt people." The latter looks silly, because we already know that.

Sensationalisim and over alarming news in the press is something that has been widely studied across a variety of disciplines. This isn't something I'm making up for the sake of arguing. It is not the information the problem, but the way the information is conveyed. I think it important for the press to warn the public about the risk of consumming fresh spinach at this moment or any other health risk. But they don't have to make it look like a life or death situation. There are other option for fresh spinach consumers, like frozen or canned spinach, for example.

You are right about the car accidents. We all know they're dangerous and obvioulsy for the press is not something newsworthy. But that doesn't make them less risky. This sounds silly for you because you are a journalist, and journalist are trained to think in terms of novelty and events, because that is what sells the news. If the press did an extensive coverage about car accidents these days, with big pictures of people bleeding, dead bodies, dismembered and scattered everywhere and a big headlines saying: If you drive a car this is what will happen to you! I'm sure a lot of people would stop riding in cars, and less will die on the streets. It's very hard for me to explain my point but if you interested here are few articles written by an experts in risk communication in the press. I hope I didn't sound too opinionated or arrogant. I apologize if I did.

http://www.psandman.com/articles/toronto.htm
http://www.psandman.com/articles/seattle.htm

This one is actually about environmental risk

http://www.fplc.edu/RISK/vol5/summer/sandman.htm

Also, there is an explanation as to why the press does what it does. It's partly explained in this article:

http://dels.nas.edu/dr/docs/Quarantelli.pdf
 

[Giancarlo]

The explanation for that would be that car accidents have been happening in great numbers as long as there have been cars. So while it's bad that so many people get hurt or killed in them, it's not big news (though sometimes, of course, specific accidents are news).

People are not used to spinach being dangerous, so it is news.

It's the difference between a headline that says "Eating spinach can hurt people" and one that says "Car accidents can hurt people." The latter looks silly, because we already know that.

Actually what it is.. is typical media sensationalism and over-reaction. Perhaps something more relevant, there are many cases of food poisoning in this country, and often they can send one to the hospital. The media is over-reacting and so is this country. If we let the FDA just do its job and learn that steamed spinach is perhaps the best way to eat it... things would be better off.