Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
learned about the recall. Although more than three-quarters (77%) reported discarding
the spinach once they learned about the recall, more than one-quarter (27%) said they
consumed some or all of the spinach they had at home. Of these, nearly three-quarters
(72%) said they knew about the recall at the time they ate it.
Many Thought Washing Produce Would Make It Safe to Eat
In their September 15, 2006 update on the outbreak of
E. coli
O157:H7 infections
from fresh spinach, the CDC specifi cally noted under the heading “Advice for
Consumers about this Outbreak,” that “bacteria stick to produce even when it is
washed, and sometimes the bacteria are inside the produce.” In the same press release,
under the heading “General Advice for Consumers,” the CDC also advised consumers
that they should “wash produce with clean cool running water just before eating and
cut away damaged areas.” (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2006b).
In addition, Robert Brackett, Director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and
Nutrition (CFSAN), was widely quoted advising consumers to discard any spinach
they had already purchased, noting that simply washing the spinach would not make
it safe to eat.
Perhaps it was because of this apparently contradictory advice or because washing
food is so often a recommended action for food safety (U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 2005) that there was
some confusion about the role of washing in eliminating possible contaminants.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) correctly recognized that the statement, “Bagged spinach
marked as 'Triple washed' is certain not to have any
E. coli
” is untrue. Yet, whether
they had heard of the recall or not, 44% of Americans thought it true that properly
washing contaminated food makes food safe to eat, and nearly half (48%) reported
that the spinach recall caused them to wash their food more thoroughly.
Concerns of Spinach Safety Affect Other Produce
Americans appear to have generalized their concerns about spinach to other, similar
produce. Regardless of whether they ate spinach before the recall or not, nearly one-
fi fth (18%) of those aware of the recall said they stopped buying
other bagged produce
because of the spinach recall. As a result, these data suggest that the recall affected
the sales of spinach and of other produce as well.
After the Recall
Many Americans Unsure When Recall Was Over
By the time the survey was conducted, more than 6 weeks had elapsed since the FDA
had issued its September 22nd press release advising consumers that they could be
confi dent in eating spinach grown outside the three counties in California that had
been implicated in the
E. coli
contamination (U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2006e), and nearly a month had passed since David Acheson of the FDA had been
quoted as saying that “… spinach is as safe as it was before this event” (Shin 2006).
Yet, at the time they were interviewed, almost half of those who were aware of the
spinach recall (45%) were not confi dent that the recall had ended. More than one-tenth
(13%) of the respondents thought it was true that “the spinach recall is still in effect”
and nearly one- fi fth (18%) said they were not sure. About half (55%) said that it was
