Salads in bag

Question

Hello
We ask a question about salads in bags in which there is always a little stagnant humidity especially in a plant environment.
Do you think it is possible that the Pseudomonas aeruginosa proliferates there and we have to, by precautionary measure, favor whole salads to prepare?
Thank you for your answer.

Answer

Hello
thank you for this interesting question!
The salads in bags are prepared almost like home:
They are manually cut , washed in chlorinated water bath (vinegar at home is also very effective) and then pressed.
They contain no preservative.
The bags are then packed in a modified atmosphere to allow longer preservation.
It is possible that there is the Pseudomonas aeruginosa but probably not more than in the whole salad that you preserve in your fridge.
I just advise you to quickly consume your salad that is prepared at home or after opening the bag.
Continue to wash your fruits and vegetables providing you with vitamins, minerals and fiber elements that are very important for the health of everybody, including people with cystic fibrosis.
Eating fruits and vegetables washed does not increase the risk of pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Wash hands after using the toilet, before preparing food and before eating is also a very important measure.
Cordially
Yann Kerneur

30.09.2013

30.09.13
In Germany, salads in bags have just recently been in discussion, as 19 different salad-bag products have been tested by the German "Stiftung Warentest", an institution that tests all kinds of products for the consumer. Among the 19 tested salads, 1 was tested to be "inferior", 8 "just sufficient" and 10 "satisfiable" from the microbiological standpoint, none were "good" or "very good". Mould fungi, candida and bacteria of the species Bacillus cereus were found in 9 samples ("inferior" and "just sufficient" ones) in an amount, that is not regarded to be acceptable anymore by the "German society for hygiene and microbiology". To find those germs in general on food is normal, just the number of germs was too high. High numbers of Bacillus cereus can cause gastro-intestinal problems. No dangerous germs like Salmonella have been found, though.
To reduce the germ load the following recommendations pertain:
Do not use salads in bags just before reaching the best-before date, eat them soon after bying (keeping the storage time as short as possible), store them in the fridge and wash the salad again before eating (even if it is labelled as being washed) in order to reduce 90% of the germ load. The institution for testing of the products discourages the usage of salad in bags for immunocompromised people, small children, pregnant women and elderly people.
D. d'Alquen