A healthy eating pattern can be both nutritious and tasty when highlighting fresh, seasonal produce. One of the best ways to include fruits and vegetables in your meals isadding them to a salad. But if you’re hesitant to use romaine lettuce as the base, we can understand why.
Over the past few years, romaine lettuce has been prone to foodborne-illness contaminants, includingE. colioutbreaks in2018,2020and even as recent aslast year. And in the recent Netflix documentaryPoisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food, multiple food-safety officials, advocates and experts interviewed stated that they stay away from romaine lettuce due to the risk of contamination.
So is romaine lettuce safe to eat? We’re breaking down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advice on what you should know before you buy the leafy green.
Iceberg Lettuce vs. Romaine Lettuce: What’s the Difference?
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Is It Safe to Eat Romaine Lettuce?
According to the CDC,many foodborne illnesses in the U.S.are linked to germs on raw fruits and vegetables. This includes the spread of bacteria likeE. coli,norovirus,Salmonella,Listeriaand more. Sensitive groups like those age 65 and older, immunocompromised individuals, children younger than age 5 and pregnant people may experience severe symptoms from foodborne illness.
While the headlines make it seem as if all romaine is harboring illness-causing germs, the reality is less attention-grabbing.
Toproperly wash your lettuce, the first step you need to take is to wash your hands and surfaces that you plan for the green to come in contact with. Remove bruised or torn leaves, then thoroughly wash the lettuce under running water (you do not have to use special produce-cleaning products). After drying your lettuce with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, it’s ready to eat. That’s all it takes to help prevent harmful diseases from spreading in your kitchen, food or body.
Why Does Lettuce Turn Pink?
There are some exceptions to this.The CDC notesthat if bagged romaine lettuce products have labels like “ready to eat,” “triple washed” and “no washing necessary,” you don’t need to wash the greens, as they have already been commercially washed.
The Bottom Line
Unless your product is recalled, romaine lettuce is safe to eat. It also hasamazing benefitslike supporting bone health, eye health and skin health, thanks to it being packed with vitamins K and A. By rinsing your produce, including romaine lettuce, under water before consuming, you can help prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses. For recipes to help you use up your romaine, try ourChicken Caesar Salad Wraps.
Up next:5 Things You Should Never Store Under Your Kitchen Sink
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