A video shows a woman who claims her romaine lettuce is contaminated after peeling what appears to be a clear, slimy plastic skin from it.
First E. coli, now this?
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| Romaine lettuce at a grocery store. |
By Lenyon Whitaker, Metro
A recent video shows a woman peeling off what appears to be a thin
plastic film from romaine lettuce is circulating the web and is causing a
buzz online because of the recent nationwide E. coli outbreak affecting
romaine lettuce.
In the video uploaded to Facebook
by Karen Martin Collins, she claims that lettuce sold at stores is
contaminated and is attempting to prove that by showing her peeling a
layer of something off of lettuce.
The video has been shared by thousands of people on social media and
many are associating it with the recent romaine lettuce E. coli scare
that has caused at least 80 infections and more than 40
hospitalizations, according to the United States Centers for Disease
Control earlier this week.
At this point, you’re probably wondering if the video is fake or if a
thin, plastic-like coating can be spotted on contaminated leaves of
romaine lettuce. Considering the recent health scare and buzz
surrounding E. coli and lettuce, we understand your concern if you’re
still feeling iffy about eating lettuce.
Romaine lettuce plastic scare
The video being shared on social media is real, however, the plastic
film she is peeling off is not necessarily related to a contamination.
According to Snopes,
the film-like coating you’re seeing is widely known in the agricultural
world as epidermal peeling. It has nothing to do with contamination and
is not related to E. coli The coating is not “plastic” at all. Instead,
it is the "epidermal" or skin layer of the lettuce. The woman in the
video appears to be experiencing an extreme case of epidermal peeling.
Epidermal peeling occurs when freezing weather conditions cause
blistering in romaine and other types of lettuce, causing it to form a
thin protective layer on the leaves that can be peeled off.
Markon, a major food service company that produces fruits and
vegetables says epidermal peeling is a completely natural occurrence but
when it happens to their crops, it becomes difficult for lettuce to be harvested and processed.
Videos like the one posted to Facebook have been circulating for
years. In this case, the video went viral because romaine lettuce has
been in the news recently because of the E. coli scare.
While the thought of peeling a slimy coating of skin off lettuce is
enough to make anyone’s stomach turn, it is good to know it is a natural
phenomenon that has to do with rapid temperature changes where lettuce
is grown or stored. It's safe to say that if you reach for your romaine
lettuce and notice it is peeling, it is normal and not linked to the
recent E. coli scare affecting lettuce.
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