Produce Is Main Culprit in Foodborne Illnesses
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iStock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — You can try your best to avoid a foodborne illness but the odds are high it can happen to you anyway. An estimated 48 million people suffer food poisoning every year while 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.
Although most Americans believe that meat and dairy are the primary sources of foodborne illnesses like Salmonella and Listeria, the truth, according to the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration, is that produce is the main culprit.
For instance, seedy vegetables that include tomatoes or zucchini are responsible for 18 percent of Salmonella cases, ahead of fruits, eggs, chicken, beef, pork and sprouts.
Symptoms, which can last up to a week, include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.
Fruit was cited in 50 percent of Listeria cases, compared to 30 percent traced to dairy. Symptoms lasting one to four days include fever, chills, severe headache, vomiting, and other influenza-type symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea.
The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration, which conducted the study, is partnered with the USDA, CDC and FDA.
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