Poultry: No. 1 Food Poisoning

Poultry items such as chicken have now received the unwanted title of ‘Food most likely to give you food poisoning.’

Health officials announced on Thursday that poultry items such as chicken and turkey, are the leading foods known to cause food poisoning, accounting for 17% of all food-related illness outbreaks reported to the government. In second place is beef, which stands to cause 16% of all food-related illnesses, followed by leafy vegetables, which totalled at 14% of all cases.

This isn’t the first time that poultry led the field in food poisoning cases, it also topped the list in 2006.

Salmonella and other kinds of bacteria caused about half of the outbreaks, the CDC said. Viruses — like norovirus — caused about 40 percent, mushroom toxin or other chemical agents were blamed for 7 percent. Parasites accounted for 1 percent.

Outbreaks are caused by many reasons, some that can be avoided and others less easier to detect. A person preparing the food can pass on germs and bacteria through the food by contaminating it while handling. Leaving the food out at room temperature for too long can also contaminate the food.

There are many more cases that go undetected or unknown to health officials, so this information is more of a guide than specifics.

Leave a Comment