The Best Reason Not to Buy Pre-Washed Salad in a Bag

The Best Reason Not to Buy Pre-Washed Salad in a Bag
Bagged salads are convenient and so easy to grab and go. But are they worth it? RYO Alexandre/Shutterstock
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Pre-washed, pre-chopped, ready-to-go salad greens in sealed bags can be found in the produce department of just about every grocery store and supermarket. Those bags are certainly a tempting option, because what’s not to like about having someone else do all the work of chopping and then double- or even triple-washing? Even so, I don’t buy bagged salad, but not for the reasons you might assume.

It’s not because I’m overly concerned that bacteria might make it through all that pre-washing in a chlorinated bath (although tests conducted by Consumer Reports did find bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation). I seriously doubt that any grocery store’s produce department is 100 percent bacteria-free. Watching customers touch and test fresh produce is one such indicator.

Mary Hunt
Mary Hunt
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