Experts warn that even foods that most Americans consider “healthy” can pose serious foodborne illness risks, with some citing salads, sprouts and deli meats as everyday foods they personally refuse to eat.
A Seattle attorney who has spent decades litigating some of the worst foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States recently told The Washington Post that the burgers and steaks he ordered were so well done, prompting chefs to come out and ask him what was wrong.
“I’ll explain my career,” Bill Marler told the media. “It’s an occupational hazard.”
He said he no longer touches bagged salads, fruit cups or trays, deli meats, ready-to-eat meals and raw sprouts — items that are often eaten raw on sandwiches, salads and wraps.
He said the items have been repeatedly linked to cross-contamination and outbreaks of listeria, E. coli and salmonella.
While most diners consider vegetables a safe choice, Mahler said he avoids them entirely when dining out.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mahler for further comment, but several other experts said they agreed. They add that the most dangerous foods may not be the ones consumers expect.
Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist at Food Consulting in Mendocino, Calif., told Fox News Digital that the list of problematic items reflects changing epidemic patterns over time.
Seattle attorney Bill Marler and other experts warn that “healthy” foods like salads pose a serious risk of foodborne illness. Robert – stock.adobe.com
Food safety threats moved from burgers in the 1990s to leafy greens, which lacked a “heating step” and were often contaminated. Victor Moussa – stock.adobe.com
“Ground beef is a reduced risk due to testing and cooking requirements, while leafy greens lack a ‘heating step’ and are known to be contaminated earlier in the supply chain, where controls are more difficult to enforce,” Le said.
Leafy greens are also processed centrally, blended in large batches and shipped across the country.
He noted that this may make them the most risky right now. “A single pollution incident can affect many people before it is detected,” he said.
In the 1990s, hamburgers were viewed as the biggest food safety threat, especially after an E. coli outbreak in 1993 hospitalized more than 170 people and killed four children.
Indiana food safety expert Jason Reese pointed to lettuce on burgers as a current culprit in the outbreak. Tricky Shark – stock.adobe.com
But Jason Reese, an Indiana food safety expert and personal injury attorney who specializes in such cases, said burger-related illnesses dropped dramatically after stricter regulations and major safety improvements.
Today, Reese noted, the danger has shifted. Lettuce and other leafy greens are now responsible for far more outbreaks than hamburgers, largely because they are grown near cattle ranches, can be contaminated by irrigation water, and are eaten raw without any cooking steps to kill pathogens.
“The lettuce on these burgers is the culprit,” Reese told Fox News Digital.
He said he never eats salad or bagged lettuce when dining out.
“It was eye-opening to see the victims I represented go into kidney failure and require lifelong dialysis from just one salad from a restaurant.”
“Most Americans don’t seem to think this will happen to them,” Reese added. “But the numbers don’t lie.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48 million Americans, or about one in six, become ill from foodborne illness each year, resulting in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Each year, approximately 48 million Americans become ill from foodborne illnesses, resulting in 3,000 deaths. Cavan – stock.adobe.com
The agency noted that the U.S. food supply remains the safest in the world, but agricultural products account for a large proportion of cases, especially norovirus, the leading foodborne disease in the United States.
He said the risk was especially “not worth the risk” for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and the immunocompromised.
New Jersey nutritionist and former food safety inspector Tina Marinacio agrees.
“Most Americans have absolutely no idea what happens to their food before it reaches their plate,” she told Fox News Digital.
But Marinacio disagrees with Mahler’s view that steak must be cooked well-done.
“If you’re not immunocompromised or pregnant, eat rare steak,” she says.
Experts recommend washing your hands properly, cooking meats well, and cutting produce at home to prevent illness. .shock – stock.adobe.com
E. coli on the surface is killed during normal cooking, she said.
The real concern is with ground beef, where bacteria can be mixed throughout the meat and the temperature must reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe, she added.
Despite the dangers, experts stress that many foodborne illnesses are preventable.
Proper hand washing and better glove training are crucial, Marinacio said, as poor hygiene is one of the most common sources of contamination.
Le added that fully cooking meats, treating bagged salads as high-risk foods, and cutting produce at home can significantly reduce the chance of getting sick.