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http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011 ... urope.html

This is a pretty serious outbreak of a potent strain of E Coli. Researchers are working over-time trying to examine it and find the source.

I read today that UAE has so far banned cucumbers from Spain, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Almost everything is imported to the UAE, so trying to choose local produce isn't always possible. Have you guys been following this story, and has it affected the fresh produce you've been buying lately?

If you read the comments in many articles people are commenting on organic farming, because they are using natural fertilizer in the form of decayed animal manure and this is where people figure the mutated form of E Coli came from. The whole debate about about mass farming with chemicals vs smaller scale organic farming comes to a head again... perhaps organic is not always better.

Yes this is very alarming, luckily I dont buy the overpriced rubbish that comes from europe , perfectly fine with what comes from south asia , those bazaars with all the yelling are the safest place to buy vegetables ,

The new strains are called MDR's (multiple drug resistant strains) also known as superbugs, sadly there is no one effective way of destroying them, Lets see if all the advancement in science , can help the eurof00ls

Nah as Zubs said I too almost never buy overpriced produced from Europe. about 20 dhs for around 6 tomatoes from Holland. So personally...nah.

18 dead so far and over 1800 infected, over 2/3rds of them females under 21, advice in the UK is to wash and disinfect any fruit, veg or salad items before consumption, simply avoiding European produce isn’t a safeguard either as the bacteria is present on the surface of the produce and is spread by contact so if there is infected European Produce in the shop where you buy, the chances are that the staff and shoppers have already cross contaminated other produce in the same shop.

Origin and cure are still not confirmed! I need to get the dosing ratio sorted out though as my salad yesterday tasted distinctly of Dettol!

Quite scary stuff. Haven't seen the supermarkets being majorly affect to be honest. There's plenty of local produce to choose from.

I'm always washing fruit and veg, but I know people who never like to wash berries like raspberries or strawberries, and they don't like washing mushrooms either, just brush them off. Blech!

Well I think they would wash the moshrooms if they knew what the mushrooms were grown in!

Have you ever heard the phrase 'I'm being treated like a Mushroom'?

True Dillon!

Apparently those all get soggy if washed, but I wash and prepare just before eating, so don't leave it sitting long enough to get too soggy. In any case, soggy is better than sick!

I never wash mushrooms but peel them, just wipe tomatoes if I remember and never peel or wash cucumbers. I can't remember the last time anyone in my family was physically sick. (oh yes, it was from a burger Beth ate in the Atlantis last year).

When Beth was a baby she was breast fed and then I gradually introduced her to cows milk, fresh from the cow. I just used to go out to the dairy, dip into the cooler and bring out some milk. It was never boiled or treated in any way. She's lived to tell the tale.

A bit of rubbish here or there builds up imunity against a lot of bugs. You can be too fussy these days. Just get it eaten.

The outbreak has been narrowed down to a restaurant in Germany. All the staff eat there and none have them have been ill. They must have built a resistance to the food!

You should always wash fruit and veg, bearing in mind how some people handle produce and don't wash their hands after using the loo!

BM, milk is a different matter. Unpasturized milk or Green or Gold top as it were back in the day is ok as the enzymes in the milk actually kill off any nasties. I used to love dipping the tank, but would get told off for pinching all the cream!

Chocoholic wrote:You should always wash fruit and veg, bearing in mind how some people handle produce and don't wash their hands after using the loo!

BM, milk is a different matter. Unpasturized milk or Green or Gold top as it were back in the day is ok as the enzymes in the milk actually kill off any nasties. I used to love dipping the tank, but would get told off for pinching all the cream!

What about when you leave the public toilets and use a handle that the person before you has used, when they haven't washed their hands? Or hold a stair rail? There are germs all over, it's not just on veg!

Personally, I never eat peanuts or the like which are put out for general consumption on bars. I wonder how many different strains of wee are on them?

That's why I always carry hand sanitizer in my bag! I hate shaking hands with people - blurgh! Money is actually the dirtiest thing that people handle everyday.

I always ask for a fresh bowl of nuts

Chocoholic wrote:That's why I always carry hand sanitizer in my bag! I hate shaking hands with people - blurgh! Money is actually the dirtiest thing that people handle everyday.

I always ask for a fresh bowl of nuts

I'm very particular about the nuts I put in my mouth too Chocs. You just can't be too careful