In 2017, if you told me that salads and lettuce were one of the healthiest foods, youd have no argument from me. Fast forward to 2018, and I may have to disagree.
That isnt to say the products lack nutritional advantages, especially when compared to other foods. Pretty regularly we publish health stories about the benefits of leafy greens in Today in Food. What I am saying is that it appears foodborne illnesses linked to these products are on the rise.
Case in point: about 105 cyclosporiasis cases were reportedly linked to salads purchased at McDonalds locations in Illinois and Iowa, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health and Iowa Department of Public Health. The health agencies reported 90 cases in Illinois anvegan zinc gluconate 70 mgd 1zinc gluconate 50 mg5 in Iowa as of July 12.gluconate zinc 50 mg
The outbreaks forced the company to respond. To its credit, McDonalds worked with Iowa, Illinois and CDC, and by July 13, issued an update. The company stopped the sale of salads at 3,000 restaurants after customers became sick. The company is removing salads from identified restaurants and distribution centers in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska, North kirkland zincDakota, South Dakota, Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Missouri.
However, it wasnt long for the legal repercussions to begin. The first lawsuit was filed against McDonalds Corp. following its decision to stop selling the salads. In a complaint filed in a state court in Illinois, a woman claims she twice had to seek medical treatment after eating salads at her local McDonalds that were contaminated with cyclospora, reported Reuters (July 17).
Wed be remiss to not dizinc gluconate 600scuss the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, AZ. As my colleague Sarah wrote a blog on the issue July 2, FDA claims the contamination stemmed from the regions water supply. Sales of the product plummeted across the nation following the outbreak, even if it wasnt sourced from the Yuma region.
Its unfortunate that such a healthy product is getting attention due to foodborne illnesses, but its important to remember technology is allowing these outbreaks to be caught earlier than ever before. As always, stay tuned to the Food Institute for the latest updates on these and other emerging foodborne illness outbreaks.