Bacteriageddon

A new study by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tested over 500 samples of washed salads from the US, Canada and Mexico and found almost 10% of the samples showed some contamination by bacteria.  These are the nasties which cause diarhhea and other digestive tract illnesses.   The cause of this contamination is supposedly human fecal contamination.  Ugh.  Of all the possible problems the salad industry faces, this is the public relations nightmare it does not want to have.  As grower organizations contend, the testing agency did not rule or test the viability of the organisms and whether they could reproduce and actually cause an illness.  However, to the ordinary consumer, the thought that eating a salad could have you riding the toilet for an uncomfortable day or night is probably enough to cause a drop in sales.  Personally, I believe the risk is minimal, but then again, I'm not the typical consumer.