A study released February 2 by Consumers Union, Yonkers, N. Y., discovered traces of bacteria and fecal contamination in bagged salads, however, none of the germs associated with the major food borne illness outbreaks of recent years.

The bacteria did not pose a health risk to the public, but their presence indicated a contamination risk with rare but potentially deadly pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, Consumers Union senior scientist Michael Hansen, PhD, tells WebMD.

The group reveals that there is an urgent need for the Food and Drug Administration to form performance standards for these bacterial indicator organisms in all leafy greens as part of its ongoing effort to propose regulations on produce safety by October 2010.

Consumer Reports investigators sampled 208 packaged salads, representing 16 brands purchased last summer in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

It is reported that the salads were sold in either bags or plastic clamshell containers.

The investigation has revealed that 39% of the samples contained more than 10,000 "most probable number" per gram -- a measure of total coliforms, which are bacteria associated with fecal contamination and 23% showed more than 10,000 colony forming units (CFU) per gram of the bacterium enterococcus.