Consume Green Salads Cautiously

Current global trends in dietary patterns reflect an increasing awareness towards a healthier life. Amongst the myriads of emerging food choices, inclination towards minimally processed or near-natural foods is on the rise. Any such food that can be eaten in raw form is considered part of salads. An aesthetic treat of fresh, colourful vegetables and fruits in artistic shapes and sizes adorns buffets today. Salad is the new normal of a healthy plate. A compelling factor for embracing it is the bounty of nutrients, mainly dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive components, that are preserved in the servings. The nourishing aspect is diminished if it gets contaminated at any point in the food chain. The World Health Organisation, in its official website, currently reports that one in ten people globally fall sick due to contaminated food. In the context of a developing country like Nepal, maintaining food hygiene from farm to fork is still a challenge. Stringent measures are thus needed to ensure salad safety.

Salads in Nepali platter

Typical salads here include cucumber, radish, carrot, onion, green chilli, and lemon. The increasing influence of global food culture can be seen in the growing popularity of leafy salads consumed alone or in burgers, wraps, etc. Leaf lettuce is now a common sight in kitchen gardens and balcony pots across homes. Commonly referred to as “Jiri Ko Saag," lettuce varieties like iceberg lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce are available in urban vegetable marts. An excellent source of beta-carotene (Vitamin A), lettuce is also a fair source of folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, fibre, and phytonutrients. Spouts of fenugreek, baby spinach, purple cabbage, beetroots, avocados, and cherry tomatoes are the new additions to the salad family.

Interestingly enough, a long-standing tradition here well reflects the age-old practice of including raw food in a meal. Amongst the Newar community, an indigenous tribe native to Kathmandu Valley, it is mandatory to serve some fresh fruits and vegetables at the end of a "Bhoj," a traditional feast. "Sisafusa," a mixture of diced radish, carrot, cucumber, soaked green peas, and orange slices, is served as the last item along with a pinch of salt, indicating the end to a festive meal. Considering the nutritional and socio-cultural relevance of salad, ensuring its safety is crucial.

Maintain hygiene 

A fresh agricultural produce is likely to carry microbes or even traces of chemicals from the soil, which renders food unsafe. Gastrointestinal disorders are common outcomes of lapses in food hygiene, which exhibit themselves as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and general weakness. Green leafy vegetables can get contaminated with pathogens like Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. The impact on children or immunocompromised people could be life-threatening; hence, hygienic management is pivotal.

Uprooted agricultural products should be washed thoroughly to avoid carryover of soil microbes. Washing leafy salads is a challenge as creases between leaves are prone to infestation. Outer leaves and lettuce ends need to be eliminated. Green leafy salads can be cleaned under a spray of potable running water or by soaking separated leaves in water for around 10 minutes, followed by swirling using a hand and transferring into a clean strainer. White vinegar may be added to the soak water to reduce the bacterial load. Cleaned leafy salads are normally packed in sterile packs and stored under refrigeration. Industrially, modified atmosphere packing (MAP) is often adopted, wherein gas mix (carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen) is injected in packaged salads to help retain freshness. Alternatively, vacuum packing techniques are also used. Ready-to-Eat (RTE) leafy salads can be consumed directly from sealed packs, however, if one chooses to rinse it before use, care should be taken to avoid any contamination.

Ensuring cleanliness of the workplace is another vital aspect of salad safety. All apparatuses to be us ed for salad preparation, like chopping boards, knives, and peelers, are to be sanitised before use. Salad cutting boards should be distinctly identifiable, preferably with a colour code. Personal hygiene of food handlers is crucial. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) like aprons, masks, head nets, food-grade gloves, and footwear is mandatory. Pest control, drainage, and waste management of food handling areas are other prerequisites that need to be closely monitored.

Increase awareness 

Ensuring food safety must be a shared responsibility of all stakeholders in the food chain. Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) at the farm level helps mitigate the possibilities of food hazards to a great extent. GAP are guidelines, in line with the “Guide to Minimise Microbial Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," published by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Implementation of food safety tools like Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) would help align existing systems towards ensuring food safety. Whatever the scale of food operations, hygiene should be a synonym for food safety. All food handlers need to be formally trained on the basic principles of food hygiene.

Capacity strengthening of consumers on aspects of safe food is equally important. How can a consumer ensure a safe purchase of RTE Salad? Key parameters to note include shelf life, manufacturing date, signs of wilting, and traces of discolouration in the pack. Label information should denote regulatory compliance. Conformance to ISO 9001, ISO 22000, and HACCP would indicate brand commitment towards quality and food safety. Apart from this, company goodwill and past experiences with the product would also have a psychological bearing on brand loyalty.

Way ahead 

The increasing portion of salad on our dish is a testimony of our inclination towards healthier food. While a crunchy bite of a salad promises a refreshing edge to a meal, it may be a harbinger of unintended health issues. It is the moral obligation of a food handler or a caterer to prepare and serve salad in a hygienic way.

Implementing a food safety management system in commercial settings would ensure a systemic approach to food safety. Through the combined efforts of informed consumers, a complaint system, and vigilant monitoring agencies, we can establish a hygienic path to better health.

(The author is a food technologist.)