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fruits and veggies responsible for food poisoning
Topic Started: Jul 19 2013, 08:02 AM (217 Views)
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Fruit and vegetables cause 46% of all food poisoning cases in the U.S.
Leafy greens, like spinach and lettuce, are the most common cause because they tend to be eaten raw so bacteria are not killed
In extreme cases, contaminated bagged salad can cause kidney failure
Meat and poultry causes just 22% of food poisoning cases

The study found that every year one in six people in the U.S. fall ill with food poisoning – about nine million people.

The majority of cases of foodborne illness caused by leafy vegetables are caused by pre-cut greens which are bought in plastic bags.

The reason for this is that these products tend to be eaten raw. In contrast, the bugs in meat and poultry that many people would expect to be the cause of most cases of food poisoning, are usually killed during cooking.
Every year one in six people in the U.S. fall ill with food poisoning - about nine million people

Every year one in six people in the U.S. fall ill with food poisoning - about nine million people

Dr Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Centre for Food Safety explained to Modern Farmer that lettuce is particularly dangerous as harmful bacteria can form within the plant tissue.

This means that when the lettuce is washed, the bacteria will not be washed away.

He added that leafy greens can cause E.Coli, salmonella, and listeria.

These bugs tend to come from animals which carry them in their intestines.

If the animals’ manure gets into soil or water, it can contaminate vegetables.

Salmonella is especially likely to be transmitted in this way as manure can be blown around by the wind when it dries out, and salmonella is known to be tolerant to drying.

In extreme cases, contaminated bagged salad can cause fatal kidney failure, according to Dr Doyle.

Dr Doyle says that the only way to prevent lettuce-related food poisoning is to ensure that farmers are doing something to kill bacteria in the field, as soon as the leaves are picked.

He believes that farmers should be using disinfectants to achieve this – he says that currently they typically use chlorine but that this is not very effective at killing bacteria.

However, Dr Doyle accepts that the odds are in the consumers favour as millions of bags of salad are sold every year and the number of food poisoning cases is small.

This data is supported by a recent study from the Food Standards Agency which showed that there are 120,000 extra cases of food-related illness during a British summer.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, a microbiologist, believes this is not due to undercooked meat so much as poor hand, surface, and utensil hygiene when people are cooking outside.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2368961/When-fruit-vegetables-BAD-Getting-day-responsible-HALF-food-poisoning-cases.html#ixzz2ZUokfbG9
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Dozens of Texans stricken with 'explosive bowel movements' caused by rare parasitic infection from raw vegetables

May be part of an outbreak also ravaging Iowa and Nebraska
Washing fruits and vegetables not enough, they must be scrubbed
Symptoms can last for months if untreated

Several Texans have become ill during the recent outbreak of a previously rare parasitic infection.

Over 40 people in four north Texas counties have become ill after falling victim to the food-borne Cyclospora parasite, leaving them with a myriad of symptoms that can last for months if untreated. Infections have risen steadily in the state over the past few years, according to reports.

Health officials have told local media they believe the parasite has been caught by people eating fresh produce.

Explaining that the parasite is endemic to tropical or sub-tropical fruit, Dr. Peggy White, chief epidemiologist for Collin County (TX.), told the Dallas Morning News that ‘it could be coming in from fruit that was brought in from a tropical or subtropical region.’

Transmitted through raw fruit and vegetables, the cyclospora parasite causes serious gastrointestinal discomfort including ‘watery diarrhea, frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, loss of appetite, weight loss, and bloating, according to the paper. If infected, the problem is treated with antibiotics.

Cyclospora leaves its droppings on fruits and vegetables, but simply rinsing the fruit isn’t enough, according to reports. Local health officials are recommending people scrub their produce and rinse it multiple times in order to avoid infection.

Sometimes we all do something closer to a rinse,” Vanessa Joseph, public health spokesperson for Tarrant County (TX.) told the paper, “but we really need to wash.”

Incidences of cyclospora have been on the rise across Texas in the past few years. Reported cases have risen from nine in 2010, to 14 in 2011 and 44 last year, according to NBC Dallas. With 42 infections from this outbreak alone, according to the paper, the state is on pace to top the previous year’s infection rate for at least the third year in a row.

Making it even more difficult to treat, experts told the station, is that tests to detect the parasite are not 100 percent accurate.

With another cyclospora outbreak raging across Iowa and Nebraska, Texas health officials are trying to determine if the two are linked, according to reports. Over 100 people have fallen victim to that outbreak.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2368834/Dozens-Texans-stricken-explosive-bowel-movements-caused-rare-parasitic-infection-raw-vegetables.html#ixzz2ZUtlNqdo
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One cheeseburger please, hold the lettuce!
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