[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I think most of the bactera/viruses, etc. are on the outside of the veggies. The general rule is to be especially careful with things like celery, onions, lettuce etc. because they grow close to the ground (where the fertilzer is) and it's harder to keep sand, grit and bad fertilizer out of the veggies.

Seems to me that if the E Coli is in the ground around the veggies, the E Coli could get "percolated" up into the veggies through their water intake. Lettuce, cucumbers, celery etc. are a LOT of water.

[hispanarepublicana]

It doesn't "percolate" up into the plant. If that were the case, we'd be dead long ago from the chicken manure that is often used to fertilize.