Food That Makes People Sick in Utah Is More Often Grown In The Ground

The food that is making people sick may not be what you expect. It probably won’t be that hamburger or chicken sandwich that causes problems but the green stuff on top of it. Here's the surprising list of foods and the number of cases of food poisoning for each. 

Beef and Chicken Have Better Food Safety 

Cooked meat used to be a big worry when it came to a risk of contamination. With better inspection throughout the process, these foods didn’t have any reported problems in the data, and any problems came from frozen meat products that were incorrectly prepared. 

The public is better informed about the risks of cooking meat and at what temperature it needs to reach to be considered safe. It was only a couple decades ago when this was a much bigger problem. 

Most of the Top Risky Foods are Grown in the Ground  

The most cases of food poisoning came from cucumbers with 664 cases. It was also high for onions and leafy greens. Part of the reason is the way these foods are processed. There isn’t a lot of oversight in the beginning, and they never go through a heating process. 

Still, the number of cases isn’t huge and should be kept in perspective. It is always good to be aware of any recalls and it is a good idea to wash any produce before you pout it in a salad. 

Read: More Food Delivered to Utah Than Produced in the State

Deli meat was also a problem. Although there weren’t as many cases of poisoning, there were 10 deaths as a result. These are cooked meats that are sliced cold. The contamination came from blades used to slice the meat. 

Taken overall, the protection the public enjoys from food contamination is low in the United States. It is interesting what foods are now at the most risk.