SHOULD PREGNANT WOMEN EAT PREPARED SALADS?

Every day this blog is read by pregnant women from around the world who want to know what they should eat and not eat. They are right to be concerned. Good nutrition during pregnancy is important for the baby to grow and develop. But there is also the safety side.

Unsafe, contaminated food can cause birth defects, harm the health of the child and even cause stillbirths and miscarriages. You will very rarely find ready-to-eat, packaged salads on a list of "Foods to Avoid While Pregnant". But I am going to put it there Why? Aren't salads a healthy food? They may be, but there are just too many incidents of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria turning up in those beautiful bagged and clam-shell salads.

For instance, at the present time River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC of Salinas, CA is recalling retail and foodservice bagged salads, because of this bacteria (see previous post). And the recall is spreading. Pacific Coast Fruit of Portland, Oregon bought and used the salads that were recalled by River Ranch in some of their retail (clamshell style) and food service processed bagged salads. Given past experience, I expect more "spinoff" recalls. Pregnant women would be wise to avoid any brand of prepared salads to avoid Listeriosis.

To your good health,
TSF

UPDATE: And - don't forget: it's not just Listeria bacteria that often crop up in prepared salads. At the present time ((11/14/2013) there are ongoing recalls of prepared salads also because of E.coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella bacteria (by different food companies). Pregnant women don't need these bacteria either...