A study published this week reported finding bacteria in 5% of vegetable and fruit salads collected from restaurants, retailers and caterers in Switzerland, reported RTS.
Cantonal chemists sampled 205 salads across the country and found 5% were contaminated to a level presenting a health risk. The samples were taken between May and September 2022.
Rather than selecting salads at random, high risk fruits such as melon were selected. Because of their low acidity these fruits are more likely to contain bacteria.
The results were significantly worse than expected. The two bacteria found were staphylococci and listeria. No salmonella was detected.
And while staphylococci tend to make people mildly ill, listeria can in some cases kill those most vulnerable, including older fragile people or the very young. It can also cause pregnant women to lose their babies.
Time, temperature and contamination are key risk factors.
Producers of the contaminated products were informed so they could find the source of contamination and fix the problem. At the same time the cantons said they plan to upgrade testing to reduce risks.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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