Dead Birds: Most Common Source Of Food Poisoning
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NY Times reports:
“Poultry was the most commonly identified source of food poisoning in the United States in 2006″
Here’s a video about poultry production:
Warning: The video is difficult to watch and may not be suitable for sensitive viewers.
The article also says that “leafy vegetables and fruits and nuts” are the second leading cause of food poisoning. Why would that be when the food borne illnesses that come from bacterias like E. Coli and Salmonella are produced in animals, not plants? Well, it’s probably because they’ve been contaminated with bacteria from animal sources (for example, at processing plants that also handle meat or from farm workers who don’t wash their hands). And because leafy veggies, fruits, and nuts are often consumed raw. But bacteria present in animal-based foods like meat and dairy, are usually cooked or pasteurized first, which kills the bacteria.
So what’s the take-home message? Get the dead animals out of your kitchen, wash your hands, and wash your food.
I think more commonly food borne pathogens found on fruits and veggies come from animal feces. Even organic fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with factory farmed animal manure (fertilizer).
From the NYTimes article cited above:
“Researchers counted leafy vegetables, fungi, root vegetables, sprouts and vegetables from vines or stalks as separate categories. Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, noted that if all of the produce categories were combined, outbreaks associated with vegetables would have far exceeded those in poultry.”
Message to be taken away: ALL foods from whatever source they are derived must be handled with care. Veggie peeps should not be complacent about food-borne illness simply because they do not consume animal foods. The lettuce at the salad bar can do you in if the food handlers are not wearing gloves and are not complying with basic sanitary procedures. Be observant!
From the USDA:
So… sometimes bacteria like Salmonella pass from feces to people via: plants. But the fact is, plants are NOT the hosts of the bacteria, animals are. This is one reason why you can generally wash the bacteria off of plants, but you have to cook it to kill it when it’s in meat.
Here are guidelines to prevent food borne illness:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Salmonella_Questions_&_Answers/index.asp#9