Food-related illnesses are on the rise, having jumped 41% compared to the previous year, thanks to a large rash of recalls, according to watchdog group U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. This trend comes in the wake of highly publicized foodborne illness outbreaks, such as the one linked to McDonald’s in fall of last year.
Consumer Reports, the nonprofit known for testing and monitoring consumer-facing policy and products, released its annual risky food report in April, naming the 10 foods of 2024 that were subject to the most recalls and/or associated with the largest illness outbreaks.
Salmonella, listeria and E. coli were attached to the entries, which cited specific outbreaks that occurred last year in relation to foods like deli meat, certain produce and dairy.
With major funding and staffing cuts curtailing the federal agencies responsible for overseeing, inspecting, and testing the U.S. food supply for safety, keeping the industry properly regulated is becoming increasingly challenging. As a result, consumers may have to take more responsibility than ever in identifying possible risks associated with certain foods.
However, this does not mean you have to permanently swear off deli sandwiches, cucumber salads or McDonald’s cheeseburgers. Here’s what to know.
What foods did Consumer Reports list as the riskiest?
The Consumer Reports list was made based on the number of illnesses and deaths related to food contamination in 2024, how widespread the outbreaks were, the number of recalls and the amount of food recalled.
The report cited major recalls and outbreaks of 2024, such as the deadly listeria outbreak attributed to Boar’s Head meats and the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak linked to the onions on some of its burgers.
Consumer Reports ranked the risky foods as follows:
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Deli Meat
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Cucumbers
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Raw dairy
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Cotija and queso fresco cheese
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Eggs
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Onions
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Leafy greens
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Organic carrots
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Organic basil
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Ready-to-eat/cooked poultry and meat
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Were all these foods recalled last year? Why are they ‘risky’?
All of the foods on the above list were linked to some sort of recall or outbreak in 2024.
Deli meat had an exceptionally rough year as the Boar’s Head listeria outbreak not only killed 10 people and forced the company to recall 7.2 million pounds of product, but it also prompted the indefinite closure of an entire plant in Jarratt, Virginia last summer.
Deli meat is somewhat of a “risky” food as it is often associated with the spread of listeria. Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that leads to listeria poisoning or listeriosis, is a hardy germ that can survive in very low temperatures but thrives in cool and damp places. It can, and will, happily live on foods in your or your grocery store’s storage area, and the process for mass-producing the meat lends itself to plenty of opportunities for contamination. The same issues apply to pre-cooked and ready-to-eat meats, like the millions of pounds recalled by BrucePac for listeria.
Produce, like the cucumbers recalled due to a salmonella outbreak that infected 113 people across 23 states, the leafy greens and organic baby carrots attributed to multiple E. coli outbreaks, and the E. coli-contaminated slivered onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, are susceptible to spreading bacterium also as a result of how we produce them.
Produce that is served fresh can become adulterated with E. coli through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of the growing area to livestock. Eggs can be contaminated similarly when being processed if their shells have cracked.
Raw dairy, which is always unsafe to consume and illegal to sell in some states, caused an outbreak of salmonella linked to producer Raw Farm, sickening at least 165 people in 2024 and sparking bird flu concerns as well. The same dangers apply to cotija and queso fresco cheese, as they are made from raw milk, and one producer, Rizo-Lopez Foods, was shut down in October after its cheeses were linked to a years-long listeria outbreak that killed two people and made dozens of others sick.
Dairy pasteurization, or heating milk products to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria, became routine in the commercial milk supply in the U.S. in the 1920s and was widespread by the 1950s. As a result, illnesses commonly spread via milk, such as listeriosis, diphtheria and tuberculosis, became less prevalent. Recent misinformation trends, however, have caused a resurgence in people seeking out and consuming raw dairy.
Is it safe to eat any of these foods?
Being considered “risky” doesn’t mean these foods are forever off limits. Instead, eating and preparing them may simply entail extra care and adherence to best food safety practices.
The good news, depending on how you look at it, is that safety regulations in the U.S. have historically been created and emboldened by incidents of harm such as recalls and outbreaks. Theoretically, then, the 2024 outbreaks should lead to more targeted adjustments.
One expert, Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety extension associate at Penn State Department of Food Science, previously told USA TODAY shortly after the peak of the Boar’s Head outbreak that it was “probably the safest time to buy Boar’s Head.”
“For one, they shut the troubled facility down. Two, a company that has experienced an issue like this should be on high alert, checking and double-checking their systems to ensure safe product, and the USDA is definitely on high alert, ensuring that Boar’s Head product being produced is safe,” he said.
“In fact,” he continued, “this is really the history of regulations in the United States. Most food regulation changes occur in light of issues such as outbreaks.”
Consumers should know “there is always a level of uncertainty when consuming food, and every individual must determine their level of risk tolerance,” Janet Buffer, senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security with The George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, previously told USA TODAY after the McDonald’s outbreak.
How to mitigate your risk
The best way to stay safe? Thoroughly wash your produce, heat meats and other foods to proper internal temperatures, wash your hands often, sanitize cooking surfaces and tools after use, properly refrigerate your foods and avoid cross-contamination of raw meats with other foods. More tips can be found at the CDC website.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Consumer Reports names ‘riskiest’ foods to eat. Here’s what to know
