Never eat these 4 popular foods, safety experts warn: ‘Just not worth the risk’
You might want to think twice the next time you’re shopping at the grocery store.
Food safety experts have revealed the four things sold at the grocery store that they would never eat — and some of them may surprise you.
Kali Kniel, a microbiologist at the University of Delaware, and Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, a Washington-based food chemist and industry consultant, revealed their collective list to the Huffington Post.
Here’s what they had to say:
1. Raw sprouts
If you’re a big fan of adding things like alfalfa sprouts and clover as a garnish on avocado toast and sandwiches, it turns out that the risks may actually outweigh the benefits.
You don’t have to stay away from them entirely, but they can be breeding grounds for bacteria like salmonella and E.coli to grow, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is only if you eat them raw, however — the CDC recommends cooking them until they are “steaming hot” to kill germs and reduce your risk for food poisoning.
2. Raw, unpasteurized milk
If you see unpasteurized milk being sold at the grocery store, it’s recommended that you run the other way — well, kind of.
“There are a lot of people who tout [raw] milk as having all these health benefits, but it’s just not worth the risk because there are a lot of pathogenic organisms that are still alive in that milk, especially if it’s coming straight from a processing facility,” Le told HuffPo.
Most milk sold today is pasteurized, which means that it’s been heated for a certain amount of time to a specific temperature to ensure that any harmful bacteria is killed.
The Food and Drug Administration also backed up the notion, as raw milk can cause illnesses like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter.
The FDA also noted that consuming unpasteurized milk can be especially unsafe for those who have a weaker immune system, children, older people, and pregnant people.
3. Produce that’s been pre-cut
While you might love the simple convenience of grabbing a pre-cut container of fruit or vegetables during a run to the grocery store, it might not actually be that great for you.
The experts suggest washing the pre-cut produce before you eat it, a sentiment which was echoed by the CDC, as it can contain bacteria.
The CDC also recommended making sure the precut fruit and veggies stay cold and separating them from raw meat, poultry, and seafood that may be in your grocery cart.
Kniel also issued a special warning about cut melon in particular, telling HuffPo that they are “most susceptible” to contamination for a few different reasons.
The first reason is that they are grown in the ground, which means that they can absorb dirty water during the growing process — and even come into contact with animal feces.
The skin of the fruit can contain bacteria as well.
4. Hot food bars
While food from the hot bar isn’t completely horrible, it’s important to pay attention to some of the ways it’s maintained.
All hot foods at a hot bar should be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, according to the FDA.
If it’s cold food, it should be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a “danger zone” that food can get into if left at room temperature for two hours, which happens between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Food Republic.
Bacteria can multiply rapidly in the “danger zone.”
“If the heating system is questionable, I would avoid the hot food bar,” Le advised to HuffPo.
“But if it is kept above the proper temperature, then you are OK eating it because it can’t be contaminated.”
Kniel also told the outlet that she always likes to take a look to make sure the sneeze guards are in place at the bar and are kept clean.
The same goes for the serving tongs.
