Insert Tossed Salad Joke Here

By Hanna Aronovich in News on Sep 19, 2006 2:43PM

In case you needed another reason not to eat your vegetables, the first person in Illinois has been hospitalized due to spinach contaminated with E. coli, the Chicago Tribune reported. Seriously, stay away from those leafy greens.

As of Monday, 114 people in 21 states have become ill from contaminated spinach, and the FDA said 75 percent of those people are women. Wisconsin has the highest reported cases - a whopping 32 - and one death already.

The first case of E. coli in Illinois was seen in an elderly woman from LaSalle County. The Tribune said her name is not being released, but she was hospitalized and is in stable condition.

The FDA said consumers should avoid all fresh spinach and all products containing fresh spinach. Sickness from tainted spinach occurs usually within seven days of consumption.

Chicagoist is a big fan of snack foods, and about 80 percent of our diet comes in packaged-and-barcoded form, which seems like the way to go these days. It seems as good a time as any to avoid vegetables altogether. We hope this E. coli outbreak will get under control soon, and many E. coli-related questions are answered here.

In the meantime, Cheez-Its anyone?