World's Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods

(CBS)  Foodborne illness affects an estimated 76 million people each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among those cases, 325,000 people are hospitalized each year, and 5,000 die -- just from what they ate.

So, which foods have the highest risk of contamination?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest issued a list Tuesday of the top ten foods that can make you sick (pdf file).

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained why certain ones ended up on the list, and what you can do to eat more safely.

View Center for Science in Public Interest's List of Risky Foods


The list included these foods:
1. Leafy Greens
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Oysters
5. Potatoes
6. Cheese
7. Ice Cream
8. Tomatoes
9. Sprouts
10. Berries

Ashton said the No. 1 item, lettuce, can be highly contaminated with bacteria.

Ashton recalled the 2006 outbreak with bagged spinach. Several people died, she said, and many were hospitalized. The greens, Ashton said, can be contaminated by the very common strains of E.Colia and/or Salmonella causing large outbreaks of disease. Often the greens become infected on the farm through contact with wild animals, manure and contaminated water, and then the germs follow the product through the whole distribution system.

Salmonella, Ashton said, is what poisons eggs.

"That's why you can't eat raw eggs in a Caesar's salad," she explained.

Outbreaks, Ashton added, can also happen from an infected person to a food product, and thus may indicate improper food handling during preparation.

Most of foodborne illnesses, Ashton said, are mild and are not treated. You can get a stomach ache, cramps, or diarrhea. But, in more severe cases, she said, food poisoning can turn into kidney failure, paralysis and even death.

However, Ashton said, people shouldn't avoid many of these healthy foods. They should just take steps to make sure steps are taken to make sure food is prepared well.

FDA list of Top 10 most dangerous foods

To avoid food borne illness, Ashton recommended washing fruits and vegetables well. When cooking, Ashton added, you should also bring meat to about 160 degrees. Freezing, she added, can also kill bacteria. But, if you're at a salad bar, for instance, and you don't have a choice, Ashton said you should go for foods further back to avoid foods that may be contaminated in the front.

[Rhino-Guy]

Was this article written by DHS, the Department of Homeland Scaremongers? They left out a very important word, "potentially". Almost all Americans eat every one of these dangerous foods regularly. And very few get sick out of the millions of tons of the stuff eaten.
Sloppy cleaning by someone leads to ocassional outbreaks, but the odds of it happening are less than a repeat of the 9-11 tragedy.
Which is not to say I don't feel bad for the few who do get sick.

[309natureboy40]

this article is complete bull and a perfect example of how the media cannot be believed anymore. they take 10 wholesome foods, add scary microbes and voila! scare the bejeesus out of the weak minded without providing any real solutions to the supposed problem. how about some advice on how to disinfect the produce cheaply and effectively? there are vegetable washes out there. i'm sorry but i'm not giving up a nice soft boiled brown egg on occasion. and what's with the tuna? explanation please.

[esq777]

I'll take my chances with any of these foods over the refined and processed junk that fills up our supermarkets.

[rhs648]

Most of us know people who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Some of them handle the food we eat. It is amazing that more people don't get sick. I read that China requires restaurants to have hand washing stations as people enter restaurants. Such a simple concept yet we don't require them.

[SHEETPAN]

Bubbadubba, Let me as stupid as you for a moment. I guess based on what Olberman, Maddow and Ed Schultz eats, makes them. Class warfare promoting, hate filled, intolerant, blithering neo- stalinist fools.

[mwainio]

I did not find the report on the 10 most dangerous food helpful. What was the intent? The list of foods is probably close to the list of most popular foods eaten. The list certainly contained foods health officials want the public to consume more of, not less. It would made a better report if you had suggested ways people could handle and prepare these foods in a way that would prevent illness. Please consider the economic damage you could inflict on any the producers of these foods, especially farmers.

[borg99]

Potatoes? Tomatoes? This list is pure paranoia. The people who came up with it need to remember to take their Thorazine.

[bubbadubba]

The ten most dangerous foods would be anything that Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck eat because those foods obviously turn you into a hate filled blithering racist neo nazi fool.

[Ken2112]

Just about any food that is mishandled or not stored properly can be dangerous. Not to put beef and poultry ( the most commonly mishandled foods) on the list is just plain stupid.

[SHEETPAN]

My beloved Brussel Sprouts #9. I guess I'll have to swithch to red meats.