Spices Top List of Possibly Tainted Foods
Find out which foods are most likely to make you sick.
Oct. 31, 2013— -- intro: Spices are the latest kitchen standby to land on a list of possibly tainted foods.
Roughly 7 percent of imported spices tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were contaminated with salmonella, a potentially deadly bacterium. Twelve percent contained insect parts or rodent hairs, according to the FDA report.
"The bug parts aren't going to harm you, but no one wants to eat those," said ABC News' chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser. "The salmonella can cause disease, but probably less than you might think, because we tend to cook the spices. We tend to not use very many of them."
Nevertheless, there have been at least 14 spice-related disease outbreaks worldwide in the past 30 years, sickening more than 1,900 people and killing at least two, according to the FDA report.
"You usually think it's the chicken, not the paprika," Besser said.
At least 9 million Americans suffer from a foodborne illness caused by a major pathogen each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there are ways to prevent getting sick from the foods you eat.
Read on to learn what you can do to protect you and your family from food poisoning's worst offenders.
quicklist: 1category: 7 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sicktitle: Eggsurl:text: The Problem: The FDA reports that more than 140,000 Americans are infected each year with the salmonella bacteria from eating eggs. Approximately 30 die. Often the shell is contaminated by animal waste or some other environmental source. Becker said that if the eggs aren't treated properly at the site where they are produced, the contamination is transferred to your kitchen.
Safety Tips: Becker advised consumers to avoid eating raw eggs and to cook all eggs thoroughly before eating. It's also important to wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling either the shells or liquid parts of an egg, as well as all surfaces the egg has touched.
media: 19420203
quicklist: 2category: 7 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sicktitle: Veggiesurl:text: The Problem: Leafy green vegetables are the number one source of food related illness, according to CDC statistics, and sprouts are another major culprit. Vanessa Coffman, education manager for STOP Foodborne Illness, said vegetables are a major source of salmonella, E. coli and other bacterial infections because they are grown in fields, often directly in the soil, where they can be exposed to pollution, animal feces and countless other forms of contamination. Also, since many vegetables are eaten raw, pathogens may survive even after a thorough washing.
Safety Tips: Coffman said the best way to protect yourself from dirty veggies is to wash them thoroughly and cook them whenever possible.
"Keep meat and vegetables separate from one another and use a separate cutting board for each," she advised.media: 19420055
quicklist: 3category: 7 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sicktitle: Fruiturl:text: The Problem: Last year, more than half a million cantaloupes were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration. The agency said it was acting in "an abundance of caution" after it was discovered that some consumers had eaten fruit that had tested positive for salmonella.
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