It must be admitted... Salad bags, already washed, it's very practical...
And it saves time.
The problem is that not only are these salads much more expensive than a classic salad...
But they are also super bad for our health and for the environment.
This was revealed by a study by UFC-Que-Choisir. Do you doubt it? Watch:
Salads in sachets are very popular with the French.
Did you know that we consume more than 73,000 tonnes of it every year?
No need to sort it, wash it or drain it... salads in sachets have something to seduce us.
These salads are practical... but not great for your health!
Because to sanitize these packed salads as much as possible, a chlorine solution (like bleach) is used to eliminate germs and bacteria.
For manufacturers, no problem. Chlorinated water would be safe for the health of the consumer.
But the truth is probably more complex.
Because it has been proven that the contact of chlorinated water with the soil found on salads creates potentially carcinogenic substances:trihalomethanes.
In addition, chlorine residues can be discharged into the waste water.
Or worse...they can contaminate poorly rinsed lettuce leaves and end up in our stomachs.
In short, if it is sometimes recommended to rinse bagged salads a second time, it's not for nothing...
The UFC-Que Choisir association tested 28 salads of different brands.
The goal was to know their content of pesticides, nitrates, various residues as well as their microbiological quality.
Problem:of the 28 salads tested, 24 had traces of chlorates.
Another undesirable substance that appears in many salads:nitrates.
Pesticides were also detected in all salads except one organically grown.
Yes, chlorine washes eliminate bacteria, but not pesticides...
The other problem with these salads is that they have lost all their vitamins.
In question:the protective atmosphere used to preserve the salad longer according to Felicity Lawrence, author of "Not on the Label".
Vitamin C and vitamin E, in particular, do not survive this conditioning, as do some antioxidants normally present in salad.
In short, the salad is very green, but it is very poor in nutrients. So what's the point of eating it?
And that's not all.
You should know that, for these vacuum-packed salads to arrive clean on our plates, it requires a lot of water!
Because you can imagine that rinsing these industrial salads is not like what you do in your kitchen...
You, when you wash a salad, you probably try to use as little water as possible.
Just to avoid wasting this precious resource and skyrocketing the water bill.
Manufacturers, to wash one kg of lettuce, use no less than 20 to 30 liters of water !
A very sad score when you consider the number of bagged salads sold...
If you like salad, it is better to buy a good salad, full of soil, straight from the field!
To prepare it, nothing could be simpler with this easy trick that will save you time and water.
You can also simply use a little white vinegar as explained here.
And to keep it longer, this tested and approved thing is super effective. You can keep it fresh and crunchy for a week!
You forgot it at the bottom of the fridge and the leaves are withered? Not very appetizing... But don't throw it away!
You will be able to refresh it quickly with this trick that really works.
Your salad is ready? Great, all you have to do is make a homemade sauce, easy and quick with this delicious recipe!
There you go, thanks to these tricks, no more excuses to buy salad in bags that cost an arm and a leg!
And you, what do you think of bagged salads? Tell us in comment. We can't wait to read you!
