Ever had that “uh-oh” moment a few hours after a meal? That sinking feeling in your stomach that tells you something just isn’t right? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a staggering 48 million people in the U.S. get sick from a foodborne illness every single year. That’s literally 1 in 6 Americans.
And this isn’t just a case of a minor tummy ache. These illnesses are serious business, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually. The cost to the country is massive, too, racking up an estimated $17.6 billion a year in medical bills and lost work time.
Here’s the wild part: those huge numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Experts at the CDC estimate that for every officially reported case of Salmonella, another 29 cases go completely undetected.
Think about it. You get sick, you blame it on a 24-hour bug, and you ride it out at home. You never see a doctor, so no lab test is done. Without that test, your case is never officially counted. This means the true number of people getting sick is significantly higher than the statistics show.
This list isn’t meant to scare you away from your favorite foods. It’s about pulling back the curtain on the risks so you can become a smarter, safer eater. Here are the top 15 foods most likely to make you sick, according to the experts.
Leafy Greens (Romaine, Spinach, Packaged Salads)
It feels wrong to start with a healthy food, but the data doesn’t lie. Leafy greens are the leading cause of non-fatal foodborne illnesses, accounting for nearly half of all illnesses linked to produce.
The main germs include E. coli (especially the nasty Shiga toxin-producing kind, or STEC), Norovirus, Listeria, and Salmonella.
The Reason Why: The problem often starts long before the greens get to your kitchen. Contamination can occur in the field, often due to contaminated irrigation water. A huge issue is the close proximity of produce farms to massive animal feedlots. Manure from these factory farms can wash into waterways or even drift as contaminated dust onto the crops.
However, the real danger lies in processing. Food-safety lawyer Bill Marler puts it perfectly: “Buying a head of romaine lettuce is like taking a bath with your significant other; buying a bag of romaine lettuce is like swimming in a swimming pool in Las Vegas.”
When lettuce is chopped for bagged salads, it passes through a machine that resembles a wood chipper. If one head is contaminated, it can spread those germs to thousands of others. The cut leaves also release juices that act like a sugary energy drink for bacteria, helping them multiply even faster.
Your Safety Playbook:
Choose whole heads of lettuce instead of pre-bagged salads whenever possible. Always wash all greens under running water, even if the bag claims they are “pre-washed,” as this can help reduce contaminants, although it won’t eliminate them completely. Store any cut greens in the fridge at 41°F or colder to keep them fresh and safe.
Chicken & Turkey
When it comes to fatal food poisoning, poultry is public enemy number one. Meat and poultry are linked to more deaths than any other food category, causing a shocking 29% of all foodborne illness fatalities, as reported by the National Institutes of Health.
The Main Germs are Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens.
The Reason Why: Chickens can carry Salmonella in their gut without showing any signs of being sick. During the slaughtering process, it’s easy for that bacteria to get from the bird’s intestines onto the meat you buy at the store.
The biggest risk in your home is cross-contamination. The juices from raw chicken are a bacterial minefield. If they splash onto your counter, cutting board, or other foods, you’re setting the stage for disaster.
Here’s a stunner: it’s perfectly legal to sell raw chicken that is contaminated with Salmonella. Back in the 1970s, a court case ruled that since Salmonella is so common and can be killed by cooking, the responsibility for safety lies with you, the consumer, not the producer. The court literally said consumers are “not ordinarily ignorant or stupid” and are expected to cook their chicken properly. This legal precedent means the final line of defense is your kitchen.
Your Safety Playbook:
Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F, and always use a food thermometer to ensure it’s done safely. Never wash raw chicken, as this only spreads invisible germs around your sink and countertops. To avoid cross-contamination, use a separate cutting board specifically for raw poultry, preferably one made of plastic or acrylic that can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Raw Sprouts
These tiny, crunchy salad-toppers pack a surprisingly huge risk. In the last two decades, raw sprouts have been linked to dozens of outbreaks. A 2022 Salmonella outbreak from alfalfa sprouts sickened 63 people across eight states.
The Main Germs are Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
The Reason Why: Sprouts are grown in a bacterial paradise. The problem often starts with the seed itself, which can get contaminated in the field. To get those seeds to sprout, you have to put them in a warm, moist environment, which happens to be the exact same condition that bacteria need to multiply rapidly.
The bacteria don’t just sit on the surface; they become part of the growing plant. That means you can’t just wash them off. The contamination is baked right in.
Your Safety Playbook:
The only way to make sprouts safe is to cook them thoroughly. The CDC strongly advises that people in high-risk groups, such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems, should completely avoid eating raw sprouts of any kind. Growing sprouts at home is not a safer option either; if the seeds are contaminated, your homegrown sprouts will be as well.
Eggs
We’ve all heard the warnings about raw cookie dough, but the risk with eggs is very real. The FDA estimates that eggs contaminated with Salmonella sicken about 142,000 Americans every year.
The Main Germs: Salmonella is the big one here. Listeria is a much less common but still possible threat.
The Reason Why: The contamination can happen before the egg is even laid. A hen can have Salmonella in her system and pass it directly into the egg before the shell forms around it.
This means a perfectly clean, uncracked egg can still be contaminated on the inside. You can’t see it, smell it, or wash it off. While on-farm safety rules have made eggs significantly safer than they were in the 1980s and 1990s, the risk hasn’t been completely eliminated.
Your Safety Playbook:
Cook eggs until both the yolks and whites are firm, no runny scrambled eggs. For dishes like quiche or casseroles, ensure they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. Avoid foods made with raw or undercooked eggs, such as homemade Caesar dressing or tiramisu, unless you use pasteurized eggs. Store eggs in their original carton in the main part of your fridge (not the door) at 40°F or below.
Ground Beef
There’s a reason food safety experts are so adamant about cooking your burgers thoroughly. Over 85% of all illnesses from the dangerous E. coli O157 strain are linked to just two foods: leafy greens and beef.
The Main Germs are Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), especially O157:H7 and Salmonella.
The Reason Why: It all comes down to the grinding process. On a whole steak, bacteria are mostly on the surface, where they’re easily killed by searing. But when you make ground beef, you take meat from potentially hundreds of different cows and mix it all together.
This means bacteria from the outside surface of the meat get ground deep into the inside of the patty. A single contaminated piece can taint the entire batch, turning your burger into a risk-filled little ball.
Your Safety Playbook:
Cook the ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F, and don’t rely solely on color; always use a meat thermometer. Treat raw ground beef like a biohazard by washing your hands, counters, and utensils with hot, soapy water after contact. Never place cooked burgers back on the same plate that held the raw patties.
Raw Oysters
Eating raw oysters has always been a bit of a gamble, but that gamble is getting riskier. The CDC estimates that about 80,000 people get sick from Vibrio bacteria each year, and contaminated food, mostly raw oysters, is the source for over 50,000 of them.
The Main Germs: Vibrio bacteria and Norovirus.
The Reason Why: Oysters are filter feeders. To eat, they suck in huge amounts of seawater, and in the process, they concentrate any germs floating around in that water. An oyster with dangerous bacteria doesn’t look, smell, or taste any different from a safe one.
Worse yet, climate change is making the problem more widespread. Vibrio bacteria love warm water. As ocean temperatures rise, the bacteria are thriving for longer periods and in more northern waters than ever before, turning what used to be a “summer month” problem into a year-round threat.
Your Safety Playbook:
The only way to kill Vibrio bacteria is to cook oysters thoroughly, as hot sauce, lemon juice, and alcohol are ineffective in this regard. If you have liver disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system, it’s critical to avoid eating raw oysters. The Vibrio vulnificus strain can be particularly dangerous for these groups, with about 1 in 5 infected individuals dying, sometimes within just a day or two.
Deli Meats
That cold-cut sandwich might seem harmless, but it can harbor a particularly nasty germ. In 2024, a major Listeria outbreak tied to deli meats sickened 61 people, hospitalized 60, and killed 10 across 19 states. It was the largest outbreak of its kind in over a decade.
The Main Germs: Listeria monocytogenes.
The Reason Why: Listeria is a tough and sneaky bacterium. It thrives in cold, damp environments, such as deli counters and food processing plants. It can contaminate a meat slicer and then spread to every single piece of meat and cheese that gets cut on it.
Here’s the scary part: unlike most bacteria, Listeria can grow and multiply in the cold temperatures of your refrigerator. The risk isn’t just one bad batch of turkey; the entire deli environment can become a breeding ground.
Your Safety Playbook:
If you are in a high-risk group, such as being pregnant, over 65, or having a weakened immune system, it’s important to avoid deli meats or ensure they are heated until steaming hot (165°F) before eating. Listeria, a harmful bacterium, can take up to 70 days to cause illness, making it difficult to trace back to the source. To reduce the risk, keep your fridge clean to prevent potential cross-contamination.
Cantaloupe
This sweet melon has a dark history. A 2011 Listeria outbreak from cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms was one of the deadliest foodborne illness events in U.S. history, killing 33 people and sickening 147, as reported by the CDC. And just in 2023, a Salmonella outbreak from cantaloupes killed eight people and made hundreds more sick.
The Main Germs are Listeria and Salmonella.
The Reason Why: It’s all about that rough, netted rind. The skin is a perfect trap for bacteria from the soil and water where it grows. When you slice into the melon, your knife acts like an elevator, dragging those germs from the dirty outside straight into the sweet, moist flesh inside, which is a perfect playground for bacteria to grow.
Your Safety Playbook:
Before cutting, scrub the entire melon rind with a clean produce brush under running water. Refrigerate any cut melon immediately, and if it has been sitting out at room temperature for more than two hours, discard it. For individuals in high-risk groups, it’s best to avoid pre-cut melon, as bacteria have had more time to grow.
Soft Cheeses
We’re talking about the creamy, delicious ones like queso fresco, brie, feta, and camembert. While amazing on a cheese board, they carry a higher risk, especially if they’re made from raw, unpasteurized milk.
The Main Germs are Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.
The Reason Why: It’s a combination of two things. First, if the cheese is made with unpasteurized (raw) milk, it skips the heating step that kills germs. Second, these soft cheeses have a high moisture content and low acidity, which is the exact environment Listeria loves to grow in, even in the refrigerator.
In France, a country famous for its raw milk cheeses, these products have been linked to 37% of listeriosis outbreaks. The French food safety agency, ANSES, warns, “Contrary to popular belief, removing the rind from a raw-milk cheese is not enough to protect yourself against bacteria, as these can be found everywhere in the cheese”.
Your Safety Playbook:
If you’re in a high-risk group, it’s best to stick to cheeses clearly labeled as “made from pasteurized milk.” Hard cheeses like cheddar and parmesan, as well as processed cheeses, are generally safer options. If you’re craving a softer cheese, such as brie, consider melting it into a cooked dish instead. Cooking it until it’s bubbling and steaming hot will eliminate any harmful bacteria, making it safe to enjoy.
Raw Flour
This one catches everyone by surprise. We think of it as a dry, safe pantry staple, but raw flour is a major food poisoning risk that has caused multiple outbreaks in recent years. A 2019 E. coli outbreak from flour sickened 21 people.
The Main Germs are E. coli and Salmonella.
The Reason Why: Flour is a raw food. It’s made from wheat grown in a field, where it can come into contact with animal waste. The milling process just grinds it up; it doesn’t cook it or kill any germs. So, that bag of flour can carry the same dangerous bacteria as raw meat or unwashed vegetables.
Your Safety Playbook:
Stop licking the spoon! Eating raw dough or batter, whether for cookies, cakes, or pizza, is unsafe, not just because of the risk of raw eggs but also due to the risks associated with consuming raw flour. Always wash your hands, bowls, and counters thoroughly with hot, soapy water after baking. To make safe, edible cookie dough, you’ll need to heat-treat the flour first by spreading it on a baking sheet and baking it at 300°F for approximately 10 minutes.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers seem so harmless, but they’ve been the culprit in some very large and serious outbreaks lately. A massive Salmonella outbreak in 2024 linked to cucumbers sickened 551 people and hospitalized 155 across 34 states.
The Main germ is Salmonella.
The Reason Why: Just like melons, cucumbers grow on the ground and can get contaminated by dirty soil or irrigation water. During the 2024 outbreak investigation, the FDA actually found the outbreak strain of Salmonella in an untreated canal that a Florida farm was using for irrigation.
The problem can also be persistent. Investigations into the 2024 and 2025 outbreaks traced the contamination back to the same grower, showing how a single farm with environmental issues can be a recurring source of illness. The CDC constantly reminds us that official numbers are just the beginning. In their report on the 2024 cucumber outbreak, they stated, “The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported”.
Your Safety Playbook:
Wash all cucumbers thoroughly under running water before cutting or peeling them. Always use a clean cutting board to prevent the spread of bacteria and other germs on the surface. If there’s a recall on cucumbers, check their origin, and if you’re unsure, it’s safest to throw them out.
Leftover Rice
This is the cause of the infamous “fried rice syndrome.” It’s a surprisingly common way to get food poisoning, with an estimated 63,000 cases in the U.S. each year.
The Main Germs: Bacillus cereus.
The Reason Why: This is a weird one. Uncooked rice contains bacterial spores that can survive being boiled. The problem happens after the rice is cooked. If you leave it sitting out on the counter at room temperature, those spores wake up, turn into bacteria, and start producing a toxin.
Here’s the kicker: reheating the rice will kill the new bacteria, but it will not destroy the heat-resistant toxin they’ve already created. So, you can get sick even from steaming hot, reheated rice if it wasn’t cooled down properly in the first place.
Your Safety Playbook:
Cool cooked rice as quickly as possible, ideally within an hour or two, by spreading it out on a baking sheet. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container and aim to eat it within a day or two to be extra safe, though it can last up to four days. When reheating, ensure it’s piping hot all the way through.
Tuna
This isn’t your typical food poisoning. With tuna, the problem isn’t usually a live bacteria or virus but a chemical reaction that happens long before the fish gets to you.
The Main Germs: It’s not a germ, but a toxin called histamine (or scombrotoxin).
The Reason Why: Fish like tuna, mackerel, and mahi-mahi are naturally high in a compound called histidine. If the fish isn’t chilled down immediately after being caught, bacteria on the fish start converting that histidine into histamine.
This histamine is completely heat-stable. That means cooking, canning, or freezing will not get rid of it. If the fish was handled improperly on the boat or at the dock, the danger is locked in. The consumer is powerless to make it safe.
“Histamine formation is a result of time and temperature abuse… if the tuna is not immediately chilled below 4 degrees Celsius or frozen on board of the fishing vessel… histamine can start to develop to unacceptable levels,” explains the industry resource atuna.com.
Your Safety Playbook:
This one is mostly out of your hands—buy your fish from reputable sellers you trust to maintain a reliable, cold supply chain. Scombroid poisoning symptoms can hit quickly, often within minutes, and may include a peppery taste, facial flushing, and a headache.
Imported Frozen Berries
That bag of frozen strawberries or raspberries in your freezer could be hiding a viral threat. The U.S. has seen multiple outbreaks of Hepatitis A linked to imported frozen berries in recent years.
The Main Germs: Hepatitis A virus and Norovirus.
The Reason Why: Contamination usually occurs when the berries are being picked, often from an infected worker who has not washed their hands or from contaminated water.
The freezing process is great for preserving the fruit, but it’s also great at preserving the viruses. Unlike bacteria, viruses like Hepatitis A are not killed by freezing temperatures. The risk is literally frozen in time, waiting in your freezer.
Your Safety Playbook:
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland recommends boiling all imported frozen berries for one full minute before eating them, especially when serving children or the elderly, to ensure safety. This advice specifically applies to imported frozen berries, so if the packaging doesn’t indicate their origin, it’s safest to assume they are imported. Fresh berries or those you pick and freeze yourself are not considered to carry the same level of risk.
Onions
This kitchen workhorse has been at the center of some major outbreaks. A 2023 Salmonella outbreak linked to onions sickened 80 people across 23 states and caused one death, according to the CDC.
The Main Germs are Salmonella and E. coli.
The Reason Why: Onions grow in the ground, where they can be contaminated by the same things that affect leafy greens: tainted irrigation water and runoff from nearby animal factory farms.
This highlights a huge, systemic problem in our food system. The waste from the meat industry can directly contaminate the fields where our produce is grown. The Environmental Working Group found that in California, thousands of acres of onion fields are located within just one mile of a massive factory farm, creating a perfect storm for contamination.
Your Safety Playbook:
Wash onions under running water before peeling or cutting to prevent surface germs from spreading inside. Cooking onions is the safest way to consume them, and it’s important to always follow basic food safety rules.
Conclusion
Seeing all your favorite foods on a list like this can be a little unsettling, but the goal isn’t to make you afraid to eat. It’s to make you aware.
Knowledge is your single best defense against getting sick. And the best part is you have the power to protect yourself. It all comes down to four simple rules that experts repeatedly emphasize.
- CLEAN: Wash your hands often. Wash your cutting boards, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.
- SEPARATE: Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood away from ready-to-eat foods. Use a separate cutting board for raw meat. It’s one of the most important things you can do.
- COOK: Get a food thermometer and use it. Cooking food to the right internal temperature is the only way to kill harmful germs.
- CHILL: Get your perishable groceries into the fridge as soon as you get home. Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours of cooking.
You don’t need to give up the foods you love. By understanding where the real risks lie and making these four simple steps a habit, you can take control of your kitchen and ensure that your meals are both delicious and safe.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Don’t Swipe Until You Read This: The 7 Best Credit Cards for 2025 Ranked by Rewards
The 7 Best Credit Cards for 2025 Ranked by Rewards
There’s this moment that sticks with me—standing at a checkout line, swiping my old card like I always did, and thinking, “Wait… why am I not getting anything back for this?” I wasn’t traveling on points. I wasn’t getting cash back. I was just spending. Sound familiar?
Look, the truth is, credit cards can work for you—if you choose the right one. And in 2025, you’ve got some seriously rewarding options that can actually boost your bank account. From travel lovers to grocery haulers, there’s something for everyone.
Let’s break down the best credit cards out there this year—the ones that actually give back.
5 Easy Steps to Change Any Habit
5 Easy Steps to Change Any Habit
We all click on them with the hope that just THIS time the secret to changing a bad habit or adopting a healthy one will be revealed and we’ll finally be able to stick to that diet, stop that one or ten things that might in the moment make us feel temporarily good but really just make us fat, unhealthy, sad, mad or just frustrated with ourselves.
Well… this isn’t one of those articles. I don’t have 5 easy steps to help you change your habits….
