That they were good for you. As it turns out Mom didn’t have all the facts.
Yes the veggie and apple a day route is a healthy one. As long as what you are eating is safe. As more and more people turn to the salad side of the menu more and more are getting sick.
In most cases a little common sense will prevent you from coming down with the green apple quick step or worse. The authorities who monitor such things say if the produce is washed most of the bad stuff goes down the drain.
But not always. You may recall the green onion scare at a Chi Chi’s Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh which resulted in a friendly little dose of Hepatitis for a hundred nacho lovers.
Over the summer tomatoes contaminated with salmonella made over 500 people sick in 18 states and Canada. And a little more recently the Dole Company recalled a quarter of a million bags of pre-cut salads after buyers were found to have been infected with the deadly e coli bacteria.
The Bag of Fresh express I have in the fridge says right on the bottom: Fresh, thoroughly washed and ready to use. It doesn’t say anything about a trip to the emergency room.
It’s odd that the FDA which is in charge of making sure our food is safe doesn’t really do any inspections of salad makings and fruit.
They are in the slaughter houses and egg farms on a daily basis but unless someone gets sick in a produce related incident the feds pretty much steer clear.
In the last ten years or so about 40,000 people were reported to have produce related sickness. And that’s just the reported ones.
So take Mom’s advice. Eat your veggies every day.
