37 percent horrible

Meal or yuck: ready-made salads put to the test

Ready-made salads are practical, but also very perishable.(Bild: rjankovsky - stock.adobe.com)

Ready-made sushi and ready-made salads are considered potential germ bombs. For this reason, the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor regularly tests both in our province for their suitability for consumption. While sushi has improved significantly, this year's salad test has brought no change: around 40 percent are horrible! And the cheapest product was surprising.

"Only the salad from S-Budget was completely convincing", according to the AK consumer protectors, who took samples from the fresh food counters of supermarkets and discount stores in Upper Austria. At 50 cents per 100 grams, the cheap lettuce was the cheapest and the test winner in terms of sensory properties - i.e. smell and taste - and bacterial contamination.

A total of eight ready-made salads were put under the microscope, costing up to 2.19 euros per 100 grams. Four other salads had at least acceptable test results and were classified as fit for consumption. There were slight defects in smell, taste or texture and there were also too many mold spores in one sample.

Diarrhea and vomiting
Three samples, on the other hand, failed completely: "Unsuitable for human consumption", the testers wrote underneath. "The bacterial counts measured for Bacillus cereus were above the recommended warning value. In total, this group of bacteria comprises several species. These include a harmless germ that is also used as a biopesticide to control insects in lettuce cultivation, as well as germs that can cause diarrhea and vomiting. As it is not possible to differentiate between the germs in routine diagnostics due to the close genetic relationship and a certain risk of illness cannot be completely ruled out, these samples did not meet the justified consumer expectation. In addition, one of these mixed salads was also found to exceed the warning value for mold fungi. After thorough washing with water, despite the lack of instructions on the packaging, these salads could also be consumed without hesitation. However, enjoyment looks different. Among other things, the salads in question smelled and tasted so musty that the results of the tasting were not exactly appetizing", wrote the testers.

Trust your own nose
The consumer advocates recommend washing ready-made salads before eating them, even if there is no indication of this. And you should trust your own senses: If the lettuce smells when you open the packet or if it has brown spots, it is better to dispose of it. As a general rule, it is better not to buy ready-made salads in advance, but to buy them fresh before eating.