'Bat Salad Case' Spotlights Potential Bagged Lettuce Contamination

If you’re doing your best to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, the convenience of pre-washed bagged salads may be too hard to resist. The problem is such products can contain contaminants and foreign substances that can make you sick.

That reality was dramatically spotlighted last month when two people ate fresh salad from a bagged lettuce product before discovering the remains of a bat in it. Further complicating things, the unfortunate were treated for rabies as a precaution (although lab tests later showed the bat was not rabid).

Peter Cassell, spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), noted the case was extremely rare and not a reason for a larger public health concern.

But he acknowledged such products can contain contaminants, so consumers need to take precautions to be sure they are not consuming anything dangerous or, at least, unappetizing.

More