According to the report of Syracuse, there are about 48 million cases of food-borne illness yearly in the U.S. and about 3,000 people die each year because of the said illness. Hence, one food poisoning expert, Bill Marler, listed some foods that people should avoid because of its propensity to cause sickness.
Here are the six food he listed on the Food Poison Journal to help people understand why these foods are potentially deadly to human:
Unpasteurized milk and packaged juices
Marler said since 1998 to 2011, there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks and all of it have been linked to raw milk. And one of his earliest cases was the 1996 E. coli outbreak from Odwalla's unpasteurized apple juice.
Raw sprouts
He said that since the mid-1990s, there have been about 30 bacterial outbreaks in the U.S. and uncooked or lightly cooked sprouts were to blame. In 2014, 19 people were also hospitalized after eating bean sprouts. However, Marler admitted that despite the risk of sprout contamination, he still eats the vegetable if it's properly cooked.
Meat that isn't well-done
Marler said he always orders burgers and steaks and have each to be served "well-done" as undercooked meat can potentially cause E.coli, salmonella and other bacterial illnesses. He said meat should be thoroughly cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill all the bacteria in the meat.
Prewashed or precut fruits and vegetables
"I avoid these like the plague," the expert wrote. Marler said people are getting used to convenience -- opting for ready to eat salads. But what people don't know handled and processed food more likely become tainted. Instead of buying precut products, he said he buys uncut fruits and vegetables and consumes it within three to four days to avoid listeria -- a potentially deadly bug that grows at refrigerator temperatures.
Raw or undercooked eggs
Marler said he always eats his eggs well-cooked as he doesn't want to be a salmonella victim -- further citing the 2,000 cases of salmonella contamination in 2010 due to uncooked eggs.
Raw oysters and other raw shellfish
Marler explained that oysters are "filter feeders." Hence, whatever these creatures eat can be deadly to human. "If there's bacteria in the water it'll get into their system, and if you eat it you could have trouble," he said.
Be mindful of what you eat; make sure you have not just delicious gourmets on the table but most importantly, the best and the safest foods for you and your loved ones.