When you see anything weird in your food, like a bunch of small brown balls on your lettuce, it can make you feel uneasy.
You might think it’s amazing, but you might even look for bug eggs in your salad. If you’ve ever seen something like this when eating out or getting ready to eat greens at home, here’s what you need to know.
What are those brown balls in your salad?
Those small, tightly packed, perfectly spherical balls couldn’t be food; they might be bug eggs.
They look like the eggs of a bug that eats leaves or something else.
Salad greens like lettuce and other leafy greens are often used to hold bug eggs because these bugs lay their eggs in very specific patterns, usually on the bottom of leaves.
Are They Safe?
Bug eggs are not harmful if you eat them by mistake, but they are not meant for people to eat. The biggest problems are how food is kept and how clean it is. It’s possible that bug eggs were left in the salads because the greens weren’t cleansed or checked well before they were served.
Here’s what to do if you find something like this in your food, especially at a restaurant or salad bar:
Stop eating right now. If you think there are bug eggs in your salad, don’t eat the rest of your dinner.
This clear photo is proof.
Please tell the folks who work at the store or restaurant. Most good companies will hear your issue and either give you a replacement item or your money back.
If the problem keeps happening or isn’t being fixed properly, tell your local health department.
If you’re eating at home, go through all the leftover greens and wash them well under running water.
How to Stop This from Happening Again
Greens that have already been washed can nevertheless meet quality standards at times. Here are some safety guidelines to assist you keep insect eggs out of your salad:
You should always look over your salad before you eat it, especially if it has leafy greens like spinach, romaine, or butter lettuce.
Even if your greens have been “triple-washed,” you should still wash them at home to be sure there are no bug eggs left.
You should only buy organic lettuce and other vegetables produced in fields if you can clean them well. This is because fields that aren’t sprayed are more likely to have pests.
