Cabbage Alert

from cRc:

Red/Purple Cabbage

August 25, 2010

Recently it has been discovered that red/purple cabbage may be infested with small white bugs. The insects might not be noticed during a casual check of the cabbage, but if the leaves are removed from the head and checked carefully (before the leaves are washed), the bugs can easily be seen standing or crawling on the inside of the leaves.

The insects have been found in cabbage checked in New York, Baltimore, and Chicago, but the exact extent of the infestation or the reason for its sudden appearance is not yet understood.

We therefore recommend that until further notice one should only used red/purple cabbage in one of the following two ways:

* It is purchased pre-washed and pre-shredded (i.e. bagged cabbage).

* The leaves are removed from the head and each leaf is rinsed thoroughly under a stream of water.

To the best of our knowledge, green cabbage is not affected by this infestation.