Few things feel worse in life than severe food poisoning.
In fact, having it is enough to turn you off some foods for life. (Tequila’s a food, right?)
If there’s anyone who knows food poisoning, it’s Bill Marler – and not because he’s had it so many times. The food poisoning litigation attorney is currently heading the lawsuits against Chipotle after the chain’s recent E. Coli and norovirus outbreaks.
Recently, Marler revealed the 6 foods he no longer eats in Food Poison Journal.
While some were to be expected, others weren’t so much. Either way, this is probably useful information to know.
Unpasteurized (“raw”) milk and packaged juices.
“There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurization,” says Marler of unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized packaged juices (not that either are regulars on your grocery list, anyway). Between 1998 and 2011, there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk and raw milk products in the US (the “raw milk” can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites), and one of Marler’s earliest cases was the 1996 E. coli outbreak from unpasteurized Odwalla apple juice.
Modern Farmer
Raw sprouts.
You may want to think twice before you consume uncooked and lightly cooked sprouts – they’ve been linked to more than 30 bacterial outbreaks (as in, salmonella and E. coli) in the US since the mid-90s. Infection is caused from bacterial contamination of the seeds of sprouts like alfalfa, mung bean, clover, and radish sprouts. “There have been too many outbreaks to not pay attention to the risk of sprout contamination,” Marler says. “Those are products that I just don’t eat at all,” (unless they’re cooked, he adds).
Meat that isn’t well-done.
You may want to reconsider ordering that burger medium rare; Marler always orders his burgers well-done. “The reason ground products are more problematic and need to be cooked more thoroughly is that any bacteria that’s on the surface of the meat can be ground inside of it,” Marler says. “If it’s not cooked thoroughly to 160°F throughout, it can cause poisoning by E. coli and salmonella and other bacterial illnesses.” When it comes to steaks, needle tenderizing can also transfer bugs from the surface to the inside of the meat. Again, if a restaurant practices this, he orders his steak well-done.
Prewashed or precut fruits and vegetables.
Sure, it’s a lot simpler to grab precut salads or prewashed fruits and vegetables, especially on those nights where you want to put minimal effort into your dinner plan. “I avoid these like the plague,” Marler says. That’s because the more a food is handled, the more likely it is to become tainted. “Convenience is great but sometimes I think it isn’t worth the risk.” he says.
Raw or undercooked eggs.
When most of us were too young to remember, there was a massive salmonella epidemic in the 1980s and early 90s that was linked predominantly to eggs. While a more recent salmonella outbreak from eggs in 2010 resulted in around 2,000 reported cases of illness. “I think the risk of egg contamination is much lower today than it was 20 years ago for salmonella, but I still eat my eggs well-cooked,” says Marler.
Raw oysters and other raw shellfish.
Oysters have been losing some of their sex appeal as of late thanks to the foodborne illness they’ve caused. Marler links the increase to warming waters, which produce more microbial growth. “Oysters are filter feeders, so they pick up everything that’s in the water,” he says. “If there’s bacteria in the water it’ll get into their system, and if you eat it you could have trouble. I’ve seen a lot more of that over the last five years than I saw in the last 20 years. It’s simply not worth the risk.”
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