How safe is the food you eat? It’s a question more and more Americans are asking in light of numerous recalls and outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. Whether it’s Salmonella tainted peanut butter or leafy greens contaminated by deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, food-borne illness threatens everyone.

The tomato is one of the ten riskiest foods for food-borne illness. (Photo by Michele Harris)

Lethal bacteria have been around forever, but in the past most outbreaks were confined within local communities. With large agribusinesses dominating most of what ends up in the nation’s grocery stores (and on our dining room tables), one batch of contaminated lettuce could easily find its way into thousands of ready-to-eat salad bags and shipped throughout the country before there is any indication of a problem.

Who is at risk?

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), young children under the age of four are the group most likely to contract a food-borne illness, but older Americans are the group most likely to suffer serious consequences that result in hospitalization or death.

“Food poisoning is more than a bellyache. These are serious illnesses. For millions of children and older Americans, food-borne illness means a trip to the hospital, and possibly death,” says Carol Tucker-Foreman, distinguished fellow at the Consumer Federation of America’s Food Policy Institute. “Every American should insist that government and industry recognize the severity of the problem and act to protect us. Each of us needs to take care to keep food at the right temperature and wash our hands, but the fact remains that we can’t see or smell or taste food-borne pathogens. We can’t keep them out of our food. Government and industry have to live up to their roles in assuring our food is safe.”

“As consumers, we don’t have the power to check on these products,” says Kathleen Chrismer, whose nine-year-old daughter, Rylee Gustafson, was hospitalized for a month after becoming seriously ill from eating spinach salad contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. “Without a better system to protect us, we are totally at the mercy of the next outbreak.”

Who keeps the food safe?

We rely on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to monitor and ensure the safety of all the produce, seafood, shell eggs, and dairy products sold in the U.S. (meat and poultry is monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture). To do the job right, the FDA says it needs greater authority and more resources, changes that require new legislation.

One of the organizations calling for an overhaul of food safety legislation is the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which released a list of foods most prone to contamination (see sidebar). “Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public,” says Sarah Klein a CPSI attorney. “It is clearly time for FDA’s reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end. The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top the list of the most risky.”

What is being done?

Improved food safety legislation is currently making its way through Congress. If passed, the FDA would gain greater authority to address food safety issues and would be able to place greater emphasis on preventing food-borne illnesses.

“Every year, 76 million Americans suffer from a preventable food-borne illness. Of those, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 will die because our outdated, under-funded, and overwhelmed food safety system failed to ensure the food they ate was safe,” says Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), cosponsor of the Senate bill.

“Food safety is not a partisan issue—we all want the safest food supply possible,” says Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee which unanimously voted to send the food safety bill to the floor for a full vote. “We have the tools, the expert knowledge, and the innovative spirit to find better and more reliable systems to protect the public health from contaminated food.”

Backed by a wide array of consumer groups, food industry associations and the FDA itself, the legislation is expected to pass in 2010. No matter what happens in Washington, consumers must remain vigilant about washing and cooking foods thoroughly. And for those at greatest risk, it’s probably wise to avoid susceptible foods.

Top ten riskiest foods

Together, these foods account for nearly 40% of all food-borne outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated foods since 1990 (as tracked by the Center for Science in the Public Interest using data from the CDC and elsewhere). Illnesses caused by these foods may be as minor as a short bout of stomach cramps and diarrhea, or as serious as kidney failure or death.

1. Leafy greens
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Oysters
5. Potatoes
6. Cheese
7. Ice cream
8. Tomatoes
9. Sprouts
10. Berries