No one wants a mixed salad tossed with extra bacteria, mold and yeast, but those are just what you might find when you try to eat a healthier diet in poorer neighborhoods. A new study shows that the level of bacteria found on the fresh produce can vary according to the income level of the neighborhoods where it is for sale. Researchers compared levels of bacteria, yeast and mold on identical products sold in six Philadelphia-area neighborhoods. They selected three of the neighborhoods because they had the city’s highest poverty levels. In these, consumer options tended to be small markets that offered less variety in fruits and vegetables. The result: ready-to-eat salads and strawberries sold in stores in the poorer neighborhoods had significantly higher counts of microorganisms, yeasts and molds than the same products purchased elsewhere, while cucumbers had a higher yeast count and mold and watermelon contained more bacteria. ‘Food deteriorates when there is microbial growth,’ said study co-author Jennifer Quinlan, a professor of nutrition and biology at Drexel University. ‘The bacterial count is used to determine the quality of the produce and it was poorer quality, closer to being spoiled. Three of the things […]