The nationwide E. coli outbreak from bagged spinach could seriously dampen the popularity of prewashed, packaged salads with time-pressed and diet-conscious Americans, food safety and marketing experts say.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement Wednesday that the bug that sickened hundreds of people matched a strain found in an opened bag of Dole spinach. Both the Canadian Press and The Associated Press speculate this may eat away consumer’s confidence in a $2.8 billion-a-year industry built on convenience and good health.