Nubella says women comprise 75% of the illnesses linked to the ongoing E-coli outbreak in bagged spinach, primarily because they eat more of the leafy vegetable than men.
Just over half of the people being sickened are between ages 20 and 64. Eighteen people have suffered kidney failure, and 60 people have been hospitalized. Major restaurant chains are opting not to serve any spinach until the outbreak is over.
Leafy vegetables are the second leading source of E-coli infections in the US, behind ground beef, but the government relies primarily on voluntary safety steps by farmers and packagers to prevent outbreaks. This outbreak is the 20th since 1995 linked to spinach or lettuce grown in California. Federal Officials warned the industry to clean-up their safety procedures, but apparently that's not good enough. I think they need to be issuing some hefty fines. This is nothing to take lightly, people are dying and becoming seriously ill!
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