Home Food Safety Leafy Greens called riskiest of FDA-watched Foods

Leafy Greens called riskiest of FDA-watched Foods

Excluding meat — which is regulated by the USDA — a non-profit consumer group from Washington, D.C., has come out with a list of the riskiest foods currently regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

E.-coli-spinach-outbreak Topping the list is leafy green vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, spinach, cale, romaine and others. Center for Science in the Public Interest said the food group has been linked to the most food poisoning outbreaks — 363 from 1990 to 2006. The outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Norovirus and other pathogens have caused more than 13,500 illnesses, the report said.

The consumer watchdog group acknowledged that leafy greens are among the healthiest of foods when not contaminated with harmful bacteria. But there are compelling reasons why consumers should be wary of them:

They grow close to the ground, where they come in contact with manure, water runoff and wild animal feces — all of which can harbor pathogens.
Cutting and bagging the greens allows microbes to enter the plants and flourish before the bags are opened.
They are often eaten raw, without being processed with the normal kill step of applied heat.
Machinery used in processing can cross-contaminate production lots and expand problems.

One of the worst of these outbreaks came in 2006. The Dole bagged baby spinach E. coli outbreak sickened 200 people in 26 states and caused three deaths.

The lead author of the Center for Science in the Public Interest report was Sarah Klein. Here, in order, are the next four riskiest foods that she cited.