10 Riskiest Foods Regulated by the FDA

Super Healthy Foods Are On the List!

We expect to see leafy greens, tomatoes and power fruits like berries on the list of "super healthy" foods we should be eating more of...but we are not expecting to see them on the list of the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA).

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) authored this just-released report and identified which FDA regulated foods are responsible for the most food-borne outbreaks (using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and elsewhere). The FDA is responsible for regulating 80% of the food supply including produce, seafood, egg & dairy and typical packaged foods such as peanut butter and cookie dough.

Here's the list with the top three being the heaviest hitters:

1. Leafy greens, involved in 363 outbreaks and 13,568 reported cases of illness.
2. Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
3. Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
4. Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
5. Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
6. Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
7. Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
8. Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
9. Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
10. Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.

Tell me more about the top 3

#1 Leafy greens
The majority of the outbreaks were linked to the norovirus, spread by unwashed hands of an ill food handler or consumer. The rest were mostly caused by E. coli and salmonella.

What can you do about it?
Well, since most of the outbreaks occurred in restaurants, we need to choose our restaurants carefully as always. Chlorine washes and other post-harvest treatments can reduce cross contamination but they don't completely eliminate risk. According to CSPI, most of the leafy greens sold have already been through washing and treatment tanks that are more high tech than we could achieve washing them in our own sink. Although this doesn't help you when eating a salad, cooking the greens will reduce the risk of contamination because the heat kills the bacteria.

Does organic increase or decrease the risk of food poisoning? The Center for Disease Control doesn't break out their data on outbreaks based on regular or organic produce, but CSPI is assuming that the risk is similar.

#2 Eggs
The majority of illnesses from eggs can be traced to the "S" word - salmonella. The 1970s saw a big reduction in risk of salmonella from eggs thanks to new regulations for cleaning and inspecting eggs (most types of salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of the birds and when the egg is contaminated with the feces, it can be passed to humans.) But unfortunately it isn't that simple. Today the most common type of salmonella (salmonella enteriditis) contaminates the eggs before the shells are even formed because this type of Salmonella infects the ovaries of the hens.

What can you do about it?
Luckily the future looks brighter for egg lovers. New regulations aimed at minimizing salmonella enteriditis in egg production become effective in 2010 or 2012, depending on the size of the egg producer). As always though, cooking eggs thoroughly destroys most pathogens and serving eggs raw or "runny" or leaving egg dishes near room temperature for too long can encourage bacteria to multiply.

#3 Tuna
Much of the risk here has to do with fresh tuna, not canned, and tuna eaten in restaurants, not at home. The main culprit is a toxin called scombrotoxin that is released when fresh fish is stored above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and begins to decay. Symptoms of scombroid poisoning can include skin flushing, headaches, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea, palpitations and loss of vision. There have been some outbreaks from tuna salad consumption so canned tuna is not completely off the hook (so to speak).

What can you do about it?
Adequate refrigeration and handling can slow the process of fish spoiling, according to CSPI, but surprisingly the toxin cannot be destroyed (once released) by cooking, freezing or canning. Eating tuna raw or cooked in restaurants doesn't seem to make a difference in risk. If buying tuna is your aim (in restaurants or in grocery stores or fish markets) make every effort to choose seafood suppliers that are known for having high standards for their fish and handling practices.

For more information, read the entire report: The 10 Riskiest Foods Regulated By The U.S. Food And Drug Administration.

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