> >Top 10 Riskiest Foods >1. LEAFY GREENS: 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported cases of >illness >Ouch. Salads and other leafy greens (iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, >leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce, escarole, endive, >spring mix, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula or chard) account for 24 >percent of all of the outbreaks linked to the FDA Top Ten. The very >leaves we're supposed to be eating to improve our health! E. coli >accounts for 10 percent of all outbreaks in leafy greens; Norovirus, >which is commonly spread by the unwashed hands of an ill handler or >consumer was linked to 64 percent of the outbreaks in leafy greens. >Salmonella was responsible for nearly 10 percent of the outbreaks. >2. EGGS: 352 outbreaks involving 11,163 reported cases of illness >The overwhelming majority of illnesses from eggs are associated with >Salmonella. Regulations for cleaning and inspecting eggs were >implemented in the 1970s and have reduced salmonellosis caused by >external fecal contamination of egg shells. However, Salmonella >enteritidis, the most prevalent type of Salmonella in eggs today, >infects the ovaries of otherwise healthy hens and contaminates the eggs >before the shells are formed. Notably, final regulations that require >the adoption of controls aimed at minimizing Salmonella enteriditis in >egg production were issued in July 2009 (and will become effective in >2010 or 2012, depending on producer size), after over a decade of >inaction by the federal government. Half of all egg outbreaks occurred >from restaurants and other food establishments. >3. TUNA: 268 outbreaks involving 2341 reported cases of illness >Scombroid, the illness caused by scombrotoxin, was by far the most >common cause of illness related to tuna dishes, affecting over 2300 >people who were reported to have been sickened. Fresh fish decay quickly >after being caught and, if stored above 60F degrees, begin to release >natural toxins that are dangerous for humans. Adequate refrigeration and >handling can slow this spoilage, but the toxin cannot be destroyed by >cooking, freezing, smoking, curing, or canning. >Symptoms of scombroid poisoning can include skin flushing, headaches, >abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea, palpitations, and loss of vision. In >addition to scombrotoxin, Norovirus and Salmonella caused illnesses >related to tuna consumption, affecting nearly 1000 people. Over 65 >percent of outbreaks linked to tuna occurred in restaurants. >4. OYSTERS: 132 outbreaks involving 3409 reported cases of illness >Though they comprise a trivial part of the American diet, tainted >oysters are the fourth entry in the FDA Top Ten, responsible for almost >2000 reported illnesses. Not surprisingly, the majority of outbreaks >from oysters occurred in restaurants. >Illnesses from oysters occur primarily from two sources: Norovirus and >Vibrio. Although Norovirus in other foods is usually associated with >improper handling during harvest or preparation, oysters can actually be >harvested from waters contaminated with Norovirus. When served raw or >undercooked, oysters can cause gastroenteritis, an inflammation of >the stomach and small or large intestines. >The most dangerous of the two pathogens found in oysters i s Vibrio. >This hazard is a type of bacterium in the same family as cholera. The >most common strains in the U.S. are V. vulnificus and V. >parahaemolyticus, both of which can cause severe disease. In >immuno-compromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver >disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and >life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased >blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions. V. >vulnificus bloodstream infections, called septicemia, are fatal about 50 >percent of the time. >5. POTATOES: 108 outbreaks involving 3659 reported cases of illness >Potatoes, often in the form of potato salad, were linked to 108 >outbreaks, with more 3600 consumers reported to have been sickened by >spuds since 1990. >Potatoes are grown in the soil, but they are always cooked before >consuming. Outbreaks are linked to dishes, like potato salad, that can >contain many ingredients and also a broad range of pathogens. Salmonella >is most common, associated with almost 30 percent of potato outbreaks. >E. coli also appears in the potato category, accounting for 6 potato >outbreaks. Normally found in animal feces, the presence of Salmonella >and E. coli in potato dishes could indicate cross contamination from the >raw to the cooked ingredients or possibly from raw meat or poultry >during handling and preparation. Shigella and Listeria monocytogenes >also appear in outbreaks associated with potatoes. Shigella is easily >transmitted from an infected person to a food product, and thus may >indicate improper handling during >6. CHEESE: 83 outbreaks involving 2761 reported cases of illness >Cheese products were linked to 83 outbreaks that sickened thousands of >consumers since 1990, making it number six of the FDA Top Ten. >Salmonella was the most common hazard among cheese products. >Cheese can become contaminated with pathogens during the initial phases >of production (curdling, molding, and salting), or later during >processing. Most cheeses are now made with pasteurized milk, lowering >the risk of contamination with milk-borne pathogens. However, as >recently as August 2009, California officials warned consumers about >eating Latin American-style cheeses (such as queso fresco, queso oaxaca, >and others), which may be made by unlicensed manufacturers using >unpasteurized milk that could contain harmful bacteria. >Pregnant women should be particularly cautious about consumption of soft >cheeses (such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style >cheese), which can carry Listeria. Linked to at least four outbreaks >from cheese since 1990, listeriosis is vastly under-reported, since >overt symptoms of infection can be mild in those who are not >particularly at risk. Outbreaks from cheese products occur most >frequently in private homes. >7. ICE CREAM: 74 outbreaks involving 2594 reported cases of illness >The largest ice-cream outbreak in history occurred in 1994, when a >popular ice cream manufacturer used the same truck to haul raw, >unpasteurized eggs and pasteurized ice cream premix. Contaminated with >Salmonella en route to the plant, the premix was not pasteurized again >before being incorporated into ice cream products. The result: thousands >of people sickened in 41 states. >Soft ice cream can be a particular hazard to pregnant women and others >who are more susceptible to listeriosis. A particularly hardy bacterium, >Listeria can survive on metal surfaces-such as the interior of soft ice >cream machines-and may contaminate batch after batch of products. Almost >half of all ice-cream outbreaks contained in CSPI's database occurred in >private homes. This is most likely due to the use of undercooked eggs in >homemade ice cream. >8. TOMATOES: 31 outbreaks involving 3292 reported cases of illness >In 2005 and 2006, tomatoes were implicated in four large multistate >outbreaks of Salmonella, sickening hundreds of people across the >country. Tomatoes may have been wrongly implicated in a sweeping 2008 >outbreak (later linked to fresh jalapeno and serrano peppers), tomatoes >have caused at least 31 identified outbreaks since 1990. The most common >hazard associated with tomatoes is Salmonella, which accounted for over >half of the reported outbreaks. Salmonella can enter tomato plants >through roots or flowers and can enter the tomato fruit through small >cracks in the skin, the stem scar, or the plant itself. Once inside, >destruction of Salmonella without cooking the tomato is very difficult. >Norovirus was the second-most common hazard. Restaurants were >responsible for >70 percent of all illnesses associated with tomatoes. >9. SPROUTS: 31 outbreaks involving 2022 reported cases of illness >Raw and lightly cooked sprouts have been recognized as a source of >foodborne illness in the U.S. since the 1990s. Since 1999, CDC and FDA >have recommended that persons at high risk for complications of >infection with Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, such as the elderly, >young children, and those with compromised immune systems, not eat raw >sprouts. Although FDA has provided guidance to sprout producers to >enhance the safety of sprout products, these commodities are still >causing problems. >Notably, FDA has been encouraged to mandate consumer warning labels for >sprouts. These labels would warn high-risk consumers about the dangers >of raw sprout consumption. While it requires similar warnings for other >high-risk foods (such as unpasteurized juice and raw oysters), FDA has >not moved forward to mandate sprout warnings. >10. BERRIES: 25 outbreaks involving 3397 reported cases of illness >In 1997, over 2.6 million pounds of contaminated strawberries were >recalled after thousands of students across several states reported >illnesses from eating frozen strawberries in their school lunches. >Hepatitis A was the culprit, and contamination may have occurred through >an infected worker at a farm in Baja California, Mexico. That same year, >raspberries imported from Guatemala and Chile were implicated in an >outbreak of Cyclospora across five states. Most of these illnesses, >affecting 2700 consumers, were caused by Cyclospora in berries. The >resulting infection is a parasitic illness of the intestines, which can >cause severe diarrhea, dehydration, and stomach cramps. Importantly, the >illness does not resolve itself without antibiotics, thus requiring a >trip to the doctor. >What can consumers do to protect themselves from foodborne illness? >Follow these precautions form the Centers for Disease Control and >Prevention: >COOK meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure >the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure that it is >cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria. For example, ground beef should be >cooked to an internal temperature of 160F. Eggs should be cooked until >the yolk is firm. >SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate one food with another. Avoid >cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards >after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they >touch another food. Put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather back on >one that held the raw meat. >CHILL: Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria can grow quickly at room >temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be >eaten within 4 hours. Large volumes of food will cool more quickly if >they are divided into several shallow containers for refrigeration. >CLEAN: Wash produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap >water to remove visible dirt and grime. Remove and discard the outermost >leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. Because bacteria can grow well >on the cut surface of fruit or vegetable, be careful not to contaminate >these foods while slicing them up on the cutting board, and avoid >leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours. Don't be a >source of foodborne illness yourself. Wash your hands with soap and >water before preparing food. Avoid preparing food for others if you >yourself have a diarrheal illness. Changing a baby's diaper while >preparing food is a bad idea that can easily spread illness. >REPORT: Report suspected foodborne illnesses to your local health >department. The local public health department is an important part of >the food safety system. Often calls from concerned citizens are how >outbreaks are first detected. If a public health official contacts you >to find our more about an illness you had, your cooperation is >important. In public health investigations, it can be as important to >talk to healthy people as to ill people. Your cooperation may be needed >even if you are not ill >
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