Chicken, Beef, Pork, and Turkey

Raw and undercooked meat and poultry is a common cause of illness. Nearly all raw poultry contains a bacteria called campylobacter. The CDC says it is the leading cause of “diarrheal sickness” in the United States. There are other bacterias in raw meat like salmonella, E. coli, and C. perfringens.

Vegetables and Fruit

A healthy diet is full of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, salmonella is commonly found in these foods along with E. coli and listeria.  The outside of uncooked fruits and vegetables are hard to remove bacteria from. In fact, it can be a breeding ground for bacteria during transportation and cross-contamination.

Raw Milk and Cheese

Products made with unpasteurized milk may be teeming with E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, and more. These dairy items include feta cheese, brie, camembert, queso fresco, ice cream, and yogurt.

Eggs

Recently, there was a recall of over 200 million eggs from widespread salmonella contamination. It is impossible to detect salmonella. Eggs can look clean and uncracked but are full of the bacteria.

Raw Shellfish and Seafood

Many know that food poisoning can happen from raw fish. Raw shellfish is often the worst offender.  Oysters contain viruses and bacteria that recently made over 100 people ill in California. The raw oysters had norovirus.

Sprouts

Sprouts like alfalfa and bean sprouts need warm and humid growing conditions. However, these conditions are perfect for growing salmonella, E. coli, and listeria. In outbreaks associated with sprouts, the seed is typically the source of the bacteria. There are a number of approved techniques to kill these possible bacterias, however, no treatment is guaranteed to eliminate all harmful bacteria.

Raw Flour

Many love the taste of raw cookie dough, however eating raw dough or batter, in bread, cookies, pizza or tortillas could make you sick. Flour, regardless of the brand, can contain bacteria that cause disease. In 2016, the FDA and CDC investigated an outbreak of infections that illustrated the dangers of eating raw dough. Raw dough made dozens of people across the country ill from consuming a strain of bacteria called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121. The agencies recalled over 10 million pounds, including unbleached, all-purpose, and self-rising varieties.

 
Food poisoning lawsuits play an important role in keeping food systems safe. These lawsuits hold negligent corporations accountable. Plus, it shows lawmakers that food safety is imperative.  When people are injured from outbreaks caused by bacteria or viruses, most of the time it is from a manufacturer being negligent. The company is fully aware of their potentially dangerous practices and do not correct it. Thus, customers’ lives are endangered.