The 10 Riskiest Foods, Based on Recall Data

Lettuce has a bit of a bad rap as a purveyor of foodborne illness—but as Food & Wine reports, that rap is not exactly undeserved.

Consumer Reports recently analyzed data from the CDC, the FDA, and the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) on recalls and outbreaks from January 2017 to December 2022. The researchers determined the riskiest foods based on a combination of three metrics: the number of recalls and/or outbreaks, the number of illnesses and deaths, and the amount of food recalled. Leafy greens topped the list, totaling 50 recalls and outbreaks, 614 illnesses, and 11 deaths during the six-year time frame.

It wasn’t the worst offender by each individual metric. The runner-up, cheese and deli meat—presented as a single item in the study—numbered 122 recalls and outbreaks, but they only caused 409 illnesses and 7 deaths. Onions, the fourth-place finisher, were responsible for 2167 illnesses, but none resulted in death. Deli meat wasn’t the only meat on the menu: ground beef, turkey, and chicken all made the list, too. So did a few surprising fruits: papayas, peaches, and cantaloupe.

The report isn’t trying to discourage people from purchasing the items. “After all, these foods are all usually safe, and many of them are in fact parts of a healthy diet,” Brian Ronholm, Consumer Reports’ director of food policy and the study’s lead analyst, said in a statement. He and his fellow researchers just want to highlight “the importance of following best food safety practices with all of your foods, including knowing how to track, and respond, to food recalls when they happen.”

So what exactly are the best food safety practices for these risky refreshments? Consumer Reports laid them all out for you. For lettuce, you should opt for whole-head over bagged or boxed, and throw out the outer leaves. For flour, you should resist the urge to sample a little raw dough or batter.

See the top 10 riskiest foods below, and learn more food safety tips from the full study here.

[h/t Food & Wine]