Popeye and other fans of spinach won't find this news delighting. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States have issued out a warning against this leafy green veggie as it is suspected to be a carrier of the E. coli virus.

Following the outbreak that has so far killed one person and making ill nearly a hundred more, the company Natural Selection Foods (carrying Earthbound Farm and other brands) has voluntarily recalled their products containing spinach. The FDA, however, stressed that the bacteria had not been isolated in Natural Selection Food products but that the connection was established by patient accounts of what they had eaten before falling ill.

According to the warning, people should not eat any prepackaged spinach, whether sold in bags or clamshell boxes. Because the exact extent of the contamination is yet unknown, it is best to avoid spinach altogether for now. And washing contaminated spinach won't get rid of the virus, either, though thorough cooking can kill it. But still, it's indeed better to be safe than sorry, so why bother risking it?

Of the nearly 100 victims of the virus, 29 have been hospitalized, with 14 of them having kidney failure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Friday the outbreak had grown to include at least 19 states namely: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Wisconsin accounted for about half the cases, including the single death.

The E.coli has several strains, with most strains being harmless and thriving in the intestines of healthy animals as well as humans. The particular strain that produces a toxin and can thus cause sever illness is the E. coli 0157:H7. Infection can be had by eating meat, especially ground beef, that is rare or undercooked. Drinking unpasteurized milk or juices, and drinking or swimming in sewage-contaminated water can also cause infection. The bacteria also lives in an infected person's stool and may be spread from person to person.

While most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, there are some, regardless of age, who develops a form of kidney failure, which often leads to death.

Officials encourage those who has gotten sick after eating raw packaged spinach to consult a doctor. "At this point, we are focused on the issue of the spinach. As we learn more, as we go further, we will alter or change that recommendation (avoiding spinach)," said Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, acting commissioner for the FDA.