2 Less Commonly Talked About Foods That Can Make You Sick

With food poisoning outbreak alerts being released every week or so, you would think that most of us are well aware of all the foods that most commonly harbor nasty bacteria, such as eggs, or raw meat. But there are some foods that many Americans eat everyday that are not as talked about but still carry a high risk of food poisoning. Here is a list of them:

Potatoes

Potatoes may seem like a safe and bland comfort food, but did you know that they quite commonly harbor a plethora of bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and C. botulinum? Of the three types, salmonella is the most common type to live in potatoes as it has been linked to almost 30% of potato outbreaks. C. botulinum isn’t as widely recognized but it causes botulism.

To lower the risk of getting sick from potatoes, wash them thoroughly with hot water, and make sure they are thoroughly cooked before eating them. Another tip is to not use aluminum foil to wrap baked potatoes in, as the foil protects C. botulinum spores from getting completely destroyed by heat. You should also be cautious when choosing to purchase and eat ready made potato salads. If you make it at home yourself, it is certainly a safer choice than buying deli potato salads, as close to half of all outbreaks are linked to delis, restaurants and grocery stores. If you do purchase store bought, make sure it is refrigerated as much as possible.

Peanut butter

One of the most common “healthy” snack foods in the world, peanut butter is nevertheless quite prone to salmonella contamination at the factory. The only way to protect yourself from peanut butter and other nut butter outbreaks is to only buy from stores who will take the extra steps to notify you in case of a recall. You should also keep your eye out for recall notices on a regular basis. They are usually displayed at checkouts or on the store’s information bulletin boards.