Potatoes

A freshly scrubbed spud that's properly cooked is unlikely to cause illness. But watch out for potato salad. Cross contamination - the transfer of germs from one type of food, usually meat, to another - can be the source of the problem.

Potato-related outbreaks of illness have been traced to germs like Listeria (which can live on deli counters ), Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella.

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