The Health Protection Agency today revealed that unwashed
leeks and potatoes may have been the cause of 250 scattered cases of E.coli O157 during 2010- 2011 which
hospitalised 74 people and killed one already sick person.
The message is simple: cooking kills E.coli, but make sure you wash your hands properly after handling
raw vegetables – not a quick swill under the tap, but with soap, warm water and
dry them properly afterwards preferably on a paper towel or hand towel – not a
tea towel! Also use anti-bacterial products to kill E.coli on potentially contaminated surfaces such as chopping boards
and sinks. This advice is sound for catering environments and in the home.
I am chairing the RSPH conference on E.coli on 16th
November 2011 in London; my paper is on prevention of E.coli in the home environment. For more information go to: http://www.rsph.org.uk/en/courses-conferences-and-events/events/index.cfm
It raises the issue again of how to clean produce which is
to be eaten raw: produce wash for domestic and commercial use is available: http://shop.hygieneauditsystems.com/
So would I want to eat a peck of dirt? Not if it has E. coli on it – and how can you tell? It seems as though nearly every month another source of this potentially deadly organism is uncovered.
