Reply To: spinach/kale

[Ryann Kipping, MPH, RDN, LDN]

Hey! The biggest risk is in the pre-made salads like the individual ones and the chicken salads, potato salads, etc (the ones you are mentioning). Bagged greens are at higher risk, also, which includes salad kits and pre-cut greens, etc. So, ideally, you would buy a bunch of kale, wash it, and chop it yourself. I think purchasing the bagged greens and re-washing is a good way to go if you don’t have the time to invest in chopping all the greens. We can’t really place a number on the “risk of contamination”, unfortunately, so it’s ultimately your decision. Personally, I would still buy Trader Joe’s triple-washed products to save time in the kitchen (increase my likelihood of actually eating greens, right?) since to me the risk is still very low of actually getting listeriosis. Hope that helps!