MORE WOMEN THAN MEN ARE BECOMING ILL AND DYING FROM CONTAMINATED CUCUMBERS

The bacteria causing the outbreak of cucumber-linked foodborne illness in Europe is E.coli 0104:H4. It is relatively rare. In fact, to my knowledge there has never before been a large outbreak caused by this particular E.coli. But E.coli 0104:H4 is one of the more deadly ones, since an illness can progress to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). This complication can be fatal, particularly for the elderly or the very young.

Usually it is children who are most likely to develop complications of HUS when they have one of these types of E.coli infections. The odd thing is that in the case of the currently ongoing outbreak in Europe, especially in Germany, most of those being hospitalized with HUS are adults. And, there are many more women than men. The reported illnesses change from day to day, but one analysis I did showed 78% to be female. Other earlier estimates were slightly lower. Of the ten people that have died to date in this outbreak, nine were women.

Why are more women becoming seriously ill than men? I doubt the explanation is very complicated. Women probably eat more raw vegetables such as cucumbers and are therefore statistically more likely to ingest the bacteria.

To your good health!
TSF

WORKER LACK OF HEALTH INSURANCE CONTRIBUTES TO FOODBORNE ILLNESS IN NURSING HOMES

The New York Times reported today that Nursing Homes in the United States are seeking a reprieve from having to pay health insurance to their workers, claiming they can't afford it. Nor can their workers, given their low wages (about $10-$12 an hour)

I am against such special exemptions for nursing homes. Let me tell you why.

More foodborne illness outbreaks originate in food service operations, such as restaurants, private catered events, schools, hospitals and nursing homes, than in homes (some estimates say it is a 7:2 ratio). Studies have found nursing homes - where people are particularly vulnerable - to be among the most hazardous places to eat (see earlier posts on 2/23/11 and 9/27/10).

There are a number of reasons. A major one is the fact that many food service workers in such places work while they are ill, passing on germs to the people who eat the food they have touched or breathed or coughed or sneezed onto. They don't stay home because they have no insurance, and can not afford to lose the pay. A recent study by the U.S. Environmental Health Service, found that in such food service facilities many more managers (66%) received paid sick leave than did the lower-paid workers (35%).

The fact that a large percentage of workers have no health insurance will also mean that they don't get treatment. As a result, their illness will drag on longer than it should, not only exposing the patients, but also often their fellow workers, who will, in turn, also expose the patients.

This situation needs to be changed. People in nursing homes need safe food.

To your good health!
TSF

ANOTHER RECALL OF DELI MEATS BECAUSE OF LISTERIA BACTERIA

The post on this blog with the most views, although it is only three months old, is "Foods Pregnant Women Should not Eat." There have been very few days when it has not headed the "most viewed" list, consistently beating out the other 140 or so posts. Some 600 people have read it. One of the items on the "beware list" in that post is the following:

• Deli meats, including hot dogs and salami, unless you re-heat them to a temperature of 165 degrees.

The reason is that there are frequent incidents of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in deli meats. This bacterium is a great survivor, and can even multiply in the refrigerator. Although with some people it may cause nothing more than a very mild illness, in about a fifth of cases this bacterium can be fatal. According to the CDC, about one third of Listeriosis cases occur during pregnancy. Although the disease rarely kills the pregnant woman herself, it can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth and infection of the newborn. The bacterium is also very dangerous for people with AIDS, and others with a weakened immune system.

Fast forward to the present and the U.S. food supply. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has just announced that Rose & Shore Meat Co., of Vernon, Calif., has recalled a number of its deli meat products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products include:

• "OLYMPIC GOLD BEEF PASTRAMI" with the lot number "20911" and a "04-05-11" pack date.
• "ROSE AND SHORE N.Y. STYLE PASTRAMI" with the lot number "20911" and a "04-05-11" pack date.
• "COOKED ANGUS ROAST BEEF" with lot number "20941" and a use by date of "05-17-11."
• "TOGO'S PASTRAMI" with the lot number "20911", a "04-05-11" pack date and a use by date of "05-23-11."

These products were all shipped in large boxes (with smaller packages inside) to distribution centers in California for further distribution to food service establishments in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The FDA reported that there have been no retail sales. Those who would have been exposed to these deli meats would be people eating in restaurants, delis, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and similar places that use such products. Apparently one of the food service clients asked the company to test the meat in response to a consumer complaint (obviously someone getting ill, since you can't smell or see the difference in the meat). And - there we are - the testing turned up Listeria monocytogenes.

To your good health,

TSF

THE GRAPE TOMATO RECALL EXPANDS

As I predicted (See post on "A Recall of Grape Tomatoes"), the recall of grape tomatoes in the U.S. has expanded. Today information about two more recalls of grape tomatoes landed in my mail box. Yes, Six L Packing Company, the Florida-based distributor, has been selling them to other clients in addition to Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. of Tracy, California, and Mastronardi Produce of Ontario, Canada. After all, it packs over 15 million tomatoes a year. That's big business.

Here are two more. Although they don't have the large geographic coverage of the previous ones, they show that in this kind of recall, new risky items can keep popping up, and you can't predict where.

* Del Monte Fresh Produce is recalling a limited number of Vegetable Trays and Veg. Trio sold in Roche Bros. Supermarkets in the state of Massachusetts under the brand ROCHE BROS. because they may also have used Salmonella-contaminated tomatoes.

* Northeast Produce Inc. of Plainville, CT has also bought and used some of these potentially contaminated grape tomatoes from Six L. It is now recalling a number of clam-shell packaged and loose tomatoes. Presumably, these were sold locally, but I'm checking further. You never know. And of course, we run up against the usual confusion of different brand names - "Cutie Brand," "Fancy Sweet," and "Cherry Berries." (I am wondering whether I might try a new career in branding...). If you want the specifics, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm254548.htm.

Here's my advice for what it's worth. In any case of an outbreak at the level of a large food producer or distributor, I immediately assume that it is going to expand. What I therefore do, is to stop eating that particular kind of food (e.g. grape tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, or whatever) for a week or two, to give the government testing laboratories time to catch up and the company to come clean about all its clients. You may want to do the same. There are plenty of other kinds of good tomatoes.

To your good health!
TSF

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK SEASON IS BEGINNING IN THE U.S.

Salmonella bacteria are a very common cause of food poisoning. Usually, the symptoms are ones like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain or cramps, weakness, fever. These organisms can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, people with weakened immune systems and those who are frail or elderly. Some members of this family of bacteria are particularly vicious.

Most Salmonella outbreaks in the United States food supply, and particularly in fresh produce, occur in the spring or early summer…In other words, about now. And right on schedule, here we go. During the last 12 days, Salmonella has cropped up in several of those nice healthy foods most of us eat, which are now being recalled:

• In cucumbers, distributed by L&M Companies, Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina. There aren’t many recalls of cucumbers, so this is somewhat unusual.
• In alfalfa sprouts, distributed by Jonathan's Sprouts of Rochester, MA. Alfalfa sprouts are one of the riskiest food you can eat, and every year there are a number of outbreaks and recalls.
• In cilantro, distributed to food service customers, by Satur Farms of Cutchogue, New York. Salmonella in cilantro is also not unusual.
• In grape tomatoes grown by Six L’s of Immokalee, Fla.. In turn, these tomatoes were used by Taylor Farms Pacific of Tracy, California, for some 70 different ready-to-eat salads for Albertsons, Raley's, Safeway, Savemart, Sam's Club, & Walmart. (Wouldn’t you think that a label which includes the word “Farms” would be growing their own produce instead of bringing it from Florida?). For the entire list of RTE products under recall, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm253580.htm (It is too long to reproduce here).
• And….......

There are more to come. Summer is just beginning. So is Salmonella season.

TSF

WILL YOU GET SICK FROM THE STAPH IN YOUR MEAT?

So now we suspect that Staphyloccus aureus bacteria and their toxins could be hiding in half the beef, pork, chicken and turkey we eat in America (see earlier blogs). So why aren't meat eaters getting sick more often?

The U.S. federal authorities estimate that this bacteria is only responsible for about 3 percent of foodborne illness. The meat industry (represented by the American Meat Institute) naturally says it is even less - about 1 percent. (You can do a lot of creative stuff with statistics, and as always, you can find some study or other to back up your case).

In fact, at least a quarter of us walk around with Staph bacteria up our noses, in our mouth or on our skin. Mind you, it's more likely to be one of the less dangerous Staph like Staphylococcus albus, but Staphylococcus aureus is sometimes there too.

But what about this Staphylococcus aureus in meat and other foods you eat? Will it make you sick?

Whether you get sick or not, will depend on a number of factors, including: i) which type of toxins the Staph bacteria produce (see earlier post which explains that toxins are what make you ill - not the Staph bacteria themselves); ii) how much of these toxins you ingest; and iii) who you are.

First, not all Staph produce dangerous enterotoxins such as Staphylococcal enterotoxin Type A or B, and your body can cope with small amounts in your burger or fried chicken, if you don't eat too much (Yet another reason to cut back on the size of your meat portion!).

Finally, whether you get symptoms of food poisoning will depend on how susceptible you yourself are. As always, some people are more vulnerable than others - young children, older adults, people with serious illnesses. I also came across an interesting study of illnesses caused by Staph toxins which found that people under stress are more susceptible than normal.

So don't stress out too much about Staph in your meat. Often there won't be enough toxins to hurt you. Besides, any stress just could make you more susceptible!

TSF

WILL COOKING MEAT PREVENT STAPH FOOD POISONING?

The American Meat Institute (AMI) obviously didn't like that study I mentioned in yesterday's post - the one that found that about half of America's meat was carrying Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and about half of those bacteria in U.S. meat and poultry were resistant to several groups of antibiotics. Bad news all round for the industry, and not the kind that gets you more meat eaters, or increases profits of meat producers.

Naturally, the AMI immediately tried to both discredit the study and to reassure consumers. They said that the sample size used in the research study was too small. I agree, it was small, but even if the numbers of bacteria are a bit lower, they are still pretty unpleasant. To comfort its meat-eating public, the AMI said not to worry, because while the Staph bacteria that the study found were antibiotic-resistant, they were not heat-resistant, and could be killed by cooking your lunch or dinner to an appropriate temperature. Several other news releases on the topic have more or less said the same thing: "cook your meat well and you have nothing to worry about."

Not true. Let me explain why. Staphylococcus aureus can enter open wounds (even cuts so tiny that they are invisible) of people preparing the meat and cause dangerous infections - especially if the staph is one of the MRSA kind(the most antibiotic resistant, which two of my friends are struggling with).

As for staphylococcus food poisoning, some news for you people at AFI - and you should have known this: It is not the bacteria themselves that cause the illness. It is the enterotoxins they produce (including Staphylococcal enterotoxin A,B,C,D, and E). These toxins are fairly heat and freezing resistant. They can survive in your frozen burgers for as long as a year (if you keep them that long, which I wouldn't advise). As for being inactivated during cooking - the bacteria can be killed, but these toxins can survive and still make you ill after several minutes of cooking your meat at high temperatures.

So why isn't Staphylococcus aureus a more common cause of food poisoning?

Read the next post.

TSF

THE LATEST GROUND BEEF RECALL

Well, here's another U.S. ground beef recall because of E.coli 0157:H7 contamination. This is the fourth ground beef recall this year, not counting mislabelling or allergen issues, and it won't be the last. A note of sarcasm: the fact that most of the products sold were "natural" did not help at all (If you have read the book, you'll know what I think of the "natural" label the way it is currently used).

These potentially contaminated ground beef products were produced a couple of weeks ago by Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, of Arkansas City, Kansas and sold as cases of large 10lb chubs to firms in Ariz., Calif., Ga., Ind., Iowa, Mo., N.C., Ohio, Pa. and Wash. for further processing and/or distribution. This, of course, makes it worse. It means that the ground beef was most likely repackaged and is being sold to us consumers in smaller packages under who-knows-what label.

The USDA (which regulates meat in the US) says it will let us know once it finds out (Read..when all those firms that received the product get over their panic attacks and put out their own recalls). Great..In the meantime, maybe we should just not eat ground beef of any kind unless we are sure that it was ground on the premises of the store from whole meat.

For the record, here's the list of what is being recalled, although it won't do you much good to look for these huge cases or chubs in your local store:

--Approx. 40-pound cases of "BEEF FINE GRIND 81/19 NATURAL," containing 10-pound chubs. These products have an identifying product code of "80185."
--Approx. 40-pound cases of "BEEF CHUCK FINE GRIND 81/19 NATURAL," containing 10-pound chubs. These products have an identifying product code of "80285."
--Approx. 40-pound cases of "BEEF SIRLOIN FINE GRIND 91/9 NATURAL," containing 10-pound chubs. These products have an identifying product code of "80495."
--Approx. 40-pound cases of "BEEF FINE GRIND 90/10 NATURAL," containing 5-pound chubs. These products have an identifying product code of "85165."
--Approx. 60-pound cases of "BEEF FINE GROUND 93/7," containing 10-pound chubs. These products have an identifying product code of "86191."

The best way to be safe is still to cook your ground meat very well - and be careful when handling it too.

TSF

PEANUT BUTTER RECALL

This seems to be a bad week for anything "nuts." Not only do we have a recall of hazelnuts (nationwide in the US and fairly wide in Canada), but we also have contaminated peanut butter.

Unilever United States, Inc. has announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread. This time apparently the company itself found the contaminated product during routine sampling. It turned out to be Salmonella. No illnesses that we know of so far.

The affected product, which is packaged in 16.3 oz plastic jars, is as follows:

UPCs: 048001006812 and 048001006782 (located on the side of the jar’s label below the bar code.)
Best-If-Used-By Dates: MAY1612LR1, MAY1712LR1, MAY1812LR1, MAY1912LR1, MAY2012LR1 and MAY2112LR1 (Stamped on the lid of the jar.)

Oh well...maybe not quite as bad as E.coli 0157:H7 (the hazelnut contaminant - see previous posts), but can be very dangerous for children and the elderly.

TSF

AN NPR "SHOT" AT THE SAFE FOOD HANDBOOK

Well, you can't win all the time. Nor can you like every review of your book. The serious reviews of The Safe Food Handbook to date have been gratifyingly positive. The media ones are OK.

I don't really expect much from a reviewer (and I have been one myself) - just three things: 1) read the book; 2) spell my name correctly; and 3) balance the need to be witty and profile yourself with a fair take on what the book actually says.

The review by the National Public Radio (NPR) Health Blog ("Shots") is certainly the shortest to date: (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/12/28/132402841/5-health-books-you-dont-need-to-read-because-we-did)

Here goes speed dating meets literary criticism.
The Safe Food Handbook by Heli Perrret
Food is scary. "Risky food is everywhere." Deal with it.

By the way, I rather like the ambiguity of the NPR blog title "Shots" as it could mean a "shot of medicine", shooting down (as in a put-down), or "a shot in the dark." I do wonder in this case whether the reviewer actually read the book, or just "speed dated" it for a few minutes, before he indulged in his "literary criticism." In his hurry, he spelt my name incorrectly. I don't mind the "Dr." being left off as I don't use it 99% of the time anyway, but "Perrret" spelt - yes, with 3"r"s and one "t" is sort of cute, but not correct.

Whereas I like the fact that the review is punchy and witty, I wish it had also given a fair view of the book. The review says "food is scary." This is not an alarmist book. As Carole Marks, of the radio program "A Touch of Grey" recently said in introducing me on her program, it is an "empowering book." I was so pleased that she saw it as such. Yes, risks in food are mentioned, food group by food group, but always as a starting point for solutions. The consumer can take charge. And in fact, one of the mains reasons I wrote it is because I felt there was a need for a food safety book that is written by someone who loves food - growing it, cooking it and eating it.

I don't know about the final "deal with it" part of the review. It depends how you read that phrase. If you read it as "you can deal with it," then that's good. As the book says, you will never be able to avoid all the risks that could crop up in your food from time to time, but you will be able to avoid many of them if you are an informed consumer.

But there's the problem of the heading of the whole review "Five Books You Don't Need to Read Because We Did." I am afraid that is not going to help you be an informed consumer who avoids food risks. This review certainly does not give you the answers. And there's more to eating safely on a daily basis than avoiding Salmonella bacteria, and more to safe practices than washing your produce. Read it and you'll find out.

TSF

WHY ARE CRUISE SHIPS RISKY PLACES TO EAT?

Alright, I still haven't really explained in recent blogs why cruise ships are among the riskiest places to eat. Mea culpa. So here goes.

Not every food borne illness originates on board a cruise ship. Some of the foods purchased for the cruise already carry contaminants (as was believed to be the case with contaminated shrimp served at the embarkation buffet on board one recent cruise). But the studies I have looked at suggest that most get into the food on board the vessel. Often people - crew or passengers - are involved in the spread of illness.

Here are some reasons:

• The mass preparation of food which is usually more prone to contamination ( whether done for catered events, nursing homes, schools, restaurants, conferences or cruise ships).

• The confined area and non-stop socializing among passengers, leading to close contact between people. This means that a crew member handling food can contaminate it, with several passengers (and maybe crew) becoming ill, and then these sick people will pass it on to others (as often happens in the case of Norovirus-caused illness), or, even contaminate more food (if crew members are involved, as they usually seem to be).

• The popularity of buffet service (often with passengers serving themselves): buffets are known to be especially risky type of food for a number of reasons (see future blog).

Investigation of on-board outbreaks has sometimes traced them back to just one ill crew member, which, by the end of the cruise, resulted in over a hundred, or several hundred, illnesses. The original carrier of an illness may also have been a passenger who came on board while ill (not wanting to miss a pre-paid cruise). He or she may then have passed it on to a crew member (cleaning up the mess) and from there to other crew members, including kitchen staff, and on to food and more passengers and crew.

Norovirus - the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness on board - is so very easy to pass on. Just a few viruses on a table surface, a fork or a lettuce leaf will do it. It is also extremely difficult to deep sanitize an infected ship if Norovirus is involved. I have looked at numerous cases in CDC records where the same ship was involved in repeated outbreaks in spite of all the efforts made.

TSF

THREE FOOD RISKS WOMEN SHOULD WATCH EVEN BEFORE THEY BECOME PREGNANT

Few women are aware that there are food risks they may need to watch, even before they conceive - maybe even several years before.

Two of these are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins - groups of very persistent chemicals. In spite of cleanup efforts in North America and other industrialized nations, they continue to exist in our environment, in the soil, air, and waterways. From there they get into the foods we eat. Some dioxins and PCBs are extremely toxic and can affect the unborn child's physical and mental development. The problem is that they can remain stored in a woman's body in a type of half-life for six to ten years. About 80% of our exposure to these chemicals is believed to come from foods that are high in animal fat, such as milk, meat, fish, eggs and related products.

• If you want to have children in your twenties, start thinking of PCBs and dioxins in your teens, if in your thirties, start watching these chemicals in your twenties.
• Keep low on fatty food, especially the fatty part of meat and fish and stick to low-fat or non-fat dairy, except for the occasional ice-cream or whipped creaam splurge.

A third risk you may want to avoid, although it is not as common is toxoplasmosis. This disease is caused by a small protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. In healthy people it may not even cause any symptoms, or, you may just think you have a touch of the flu. Food and cats are main sources. If pregnant women are infected, this parasite can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or structural or neurological damage in the newborn. This infection is much more common than is commonly believed. Some estimates say that an infected pregnant woman has about a 40% chance of passing toxoplasmosis on to her unborn child. While not common, there is a small risks of your baby even becoming infected if you contract toxoplasmosis a few months before you become pregnant.

• Avoid undercooked meat and fish.
• Wash fruits and vegetables well.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat (better still, wear disposable gloves).
• Don't drink contaminated water.
• Don't let your cat eat undercooked meat either, or eat a rat, and get someone else to change the cat's litter box (a good excuse to get out of that nasty chore).
• Get tested for toxoplasmosis before you conceive, or immediately afterwards.

TSF

LISTERIA IN SALADS - A GLOBAL TREAT

Listeria monocytogenes bacteria commonly crop up in ready-to-eat (RTE) salads as well as other RTE foods. This bacterium can be present in the soil, in improperly treated organic fertilizer and in irrigation water. Animals who carry it may show no symptoms of illness.

The bacteria could also enter from packaging or plant equipment - and, in my opinion, one of the biggest risk factors - is that it is commonly carried by food industry workers. How often this happens, is difficult to say as estimates vary - let's say, somewhere between 5-20% of food workers may be carriers (that is of course, a broad range, but I bet it varies in different parts of the US.

And don't assume that this is just a US problem. It is not. For the readers of this blog in Canada, Australia, New Zealand (and my stats tell me there are quite a few of you in those countries) you have also had quite a few similar outbreaks and recalls - Listeria monocytogenes in RTE salads (as well as other foods). In fact, several occurred in 2010 in all these countries. At least one was reported in New Zealand about a week ago (Pams Fresh Express, and Living Foods Brands were involved).

And unfortunately, you can't assume organic produce is any safer. For one thing, it is handled just as much. For another, it is just as subject to environmental, animal and plant contamination. Take today's recall by State Garden, Inc. (see previous blog). One of the salad products on its recall list is Olivia's Organics. In fact, some 20 of the 90 (currently) recalled salad products bear this label. This organic line was launched with all kinds of great publicity by State Garden in March, 2006. I am quoting from the company's website at that time: "The mission of OLIVIA’S ORGANICS™ is three-fold: to encourage healthy eating by offering all-natural, organic products; to aide the local community though the work of its Foundation; and to protect the environment by endorsing earth-friendly, organic farming techniques." This sounds like a wonderful initiative - for a profit oriented company. But, unfortunately, bacteria don't discriminate - they are an equal-opportunity threat.

Listeria monocytogenes is not only a global food safety risk, but it can turn up just as much in organic as well as in conventional produce and other kinds of foods. Pregnant women - take special care (see my next blog).

TSF

UPDATE ON THOSE SALMONELLA EGGS

A few days ago, a friend asked me how we know that a food recall is over or "finished."That was a very sensible question from someone I consider to be one of my most sensible friends.

From what I have observed, the FDA and USDA (whichever one oversees that particular recalled food) posts an update to say the recall is now complete. But, notices are not posted all the time. Other times the product just quietly goes back into the food supply.

And don't think it is just a matter of days: often the recall of a contaminated food is not finished for months, or even a year, as one after another food product is affected. This is particularly the case when the contaminated item is used as an ingredient in a number of foods - as in the case of nuts, powdered milk, or something similar. At times, of course, the companies have to do time-consuming cleanups, and even to close down plants for a while.

By the way, another friend asked: "What happened to those egg producers in Iowa? Don't tell me they are back in the market." Yes, they are. For a while they were only allowed to send eggs for processing into liquid egg product (which is pasteurized, and therefore safe). Then Hillandale Farms was cleared for selling shell eggs again. About four months after the recall started (end of November, 2010), Wright County Egg was also given the "all clear." So yes, we are now eating their eggs again. But hopefully, a little safer than they were before. At least the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says they are.

To quote the Commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg: "During the outbreak, I said that FDA would not agree to the sale of eggs to consumers from Wright County Egg until we had confidence that they could be shipped and consumed safely. After four months of intensive work by the company and oversight, testing, and inspections by FDA, I am satisfied that time has come."

But don't hold your breath. Salmonella has a nasty habit of doing repeat appearances. It is safer to just cook your eggs well.

MISLEADING STATISTICS ON FOODBORNE ILLNESS

One of the many Mark Twain sayings that I like is: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." True - statistics are often misleading. You can interpret and use them in a variety of ways to make a point. That also applies to statistics about foodborne illness. A call-in question during my KQED Forum radio interview on Friday, made me very aware of this. But it is difficult to explain complicated issues well in a 10-20 second response on air (particularly if the show is live, and the question catches you "cold.") So I am doing it here.

The number of reported illnesses caused by one or other food or food group (such as produce, dairy, seafood, meat, grains) depends on several factors. They include:

• The contaminants that it carries
• Whether these contaminants are or are not checked for by the industry and government inspectors
• The food's popularity (how widely it is distributed, eaten or used as an ingredient in other food products)
• The point of contamination (farm, factory, distributor, transporter, retailer, restaurant, and so on).

The questioner was particularly concerned because I said that raw vegetables and fruits cause a large number of illnesses every year. They do - because most Americans and Canadians eat them, most of the contaminants enter at an early point (the farm), several bacteria are now tested for on raw produce, and some of the huge fresh produce companies distribute their products nationwide.

Yes, your lettuce or spinach salad may not be as deadly - strictly speaking as say, as raw oysters or sprouted seeds. But these foods cause a far smaller number of illnesses in the U.S. and Canada, simply because only a small percentage of people eat them. Raw produce causes many times more. But for the stated reasons.

TSF