(NBC NEWSCHANNEL) Bagged salads are extremely convenient, but a new study suggests they might be more likely to harbor and grow salmonella.
Bagged greens are often kept moist to keep the chopped leaves fresh and crisp.
Researchers in the United Kingdom recreated the bagged salad environment.
They found the combination of moisture plus nutrients leaching out of the greens created the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
But before you bag the idea of bagged salad, even researchers say they still eat it.
They say the best way to avoid food poisoning is to eat the greens the same day you buy them and avoid bags with mushy leaves.
This study is from researchers at the University of Leicester (UK) and is published in the journal "Applied and Environmental Microbiology."