bagged salad vs. a head of lettuce

Adelie

I was wondering if there is much of a difference between buying a bag of washed salad leaves, and actually getting the veg and chopping it and washing it yourself.

Normally I have a suspicion of ready-prepared veg, and I know this stuff in particular can be treated with chlorine. I found a bag which said "no preservatives, packed with no gas except air" but I still amn't sure exactly what they have done to it or washed it with. But these bags would be pretty convenient for when I'm in a rush...

So does anyone have any idea what they do to the leaves and what the health implications are?

rubadub

At a guess it could be irradiated, which sterilizes it.

If you wash lettuce under the tap you are efficively "treating with chlorine". So if you drink tap water I would not worry too much about it. Chlorine gases will dissipate off anyway. Lettuce would not be high on my list of health concerns of what I ingest.

The main difference is price! heads of lettuce are way cheaper, and I prefer them, I pull off whole leaves and used them as wraps.

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

The main difference is price! heads of lettuce are way cheaper, and I prefer them, I pull off whole leaves and used them as wraps.

Mmm, you've just inspired me to make lettuce fajitas for tomorrow's dinner.

Sapsorrow

Other chemical washes are commonly used other than chlorine too, gases and plant hormones are sometimes used on fruit and veg in general as preservatives but i don't know what exactly would be used on Irish produce.
If the leaves are cut into pieces there will be a larger loss of volatile vitamins than in an unadulterated whole head of lettuce.
As any microbial organisms will be wiped out any B12 that would be on a head of unwashed lettuce (from a farmers market or your garden) will be lost.
I always think the fresher and least man-handled the better, lettuce grows all year in Ireland anyway so no reason why you couldn't have a box of cut and come again saladini or mixed endives, or any other mixed salad leaves mix growing on your window sill! You can cut then and they'll grow back so you can keep using the same box. My lettuces had snow on them the last morning and they're still happy out!

CJhaughey

Irradiated food has to be sold and labelled as such under EU food law.
I think the modified atmosphere that most prepared salads are packed in is very dubious stuff.
I have seen salads that have turned into slime but are still bright green! obviously the gases at work preventing oxidation.
Tear your own lettuce up and be sure of what you are eating.

Adelie

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Other chemical washes are commonly used other than chlorine too, gases and plant hormones are sometimes used on fruit and veg in general as preservatives but i don't know what exactly would be used on Irish produce.
If the leaves are cut into pieces there will be a larger loss of volatile vitamins than in an unadulterated whole head of lettuce.
As any microbial organisms will be wiped out any B12 that would be on a head of unwashed lettuce (from a farmers market or your garden) will be lost.

CJhaughey wrote: »

Irradiated food has to be sold and labelled as such under EU food law.
I think the modified atmosphere that most prepared salads are packed in is very dubious stuff.
I have seen salads that have turned into slime but are still bright green! obviously the gases at work preventing oxidation.
Tear your own lettuce up and be sure of what you are eating.

Yeah I guess however it is that they preserve it, it's got to be dubious, I'll stick to the whole heads! Thanks!