eat what you know and ask more to live safe

Leafy greens such as spinach, cabbage, and kale are rich in healthy nutrients, but they also top the list of the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which released the list Tuesday at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

Leafy greens are one of the easiest ways to get food poisoning because they can be contaminated with germs such as noroviruses, Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7. Leafy greens have accounted for 363 outbreaks of foodborne illness and have sickened 13,568 people since 1990, according to the consumer advocacy group.

Also on this list of hazardous groceries: eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts, and berries. The FDA is responsible for regulating produce, seafood, egg, and dairy products (but not meat), and these 10 foods account for close to 40% of all foodborne illness outbreaks associated with FDA-regulated foods. (Currently there is legislation in Congress that seeks to modernize the food safety program. “We need to bring food safety and the FDA into the 21st century,” she says.