With spinach, it may be what’s on the inside that counts

In this photo released from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Eric Triplett, right, microbiology and cell science department chairman, examines a culture of E. coli bacteria as colleague Zhonglin Mou looks on – Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006. Triplett believes fruits and vegetables sometimes absorb harmful strains of E. coli from contaminated soil, enabling the bacteria to colonize tissues inside the crops. If correct, this theory could explain the cause of recent infections linked to packaged raw spinach. Credit: University of Florida/IFAS/Thomas Wright