East vs. West: Food Poisoning

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July 19, 2012
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In the long-fought east coast - west coast battle, New York just claimed another victory: Best place to get food poisoning. Turns out that food borne illnesses (namely Salmonella) do not hit all areas with equal force. According to The Atlantic, NY has nearly twice as many the number of reported cases as the second place finishers, Missouri and Texas. 

Most of these cases come from low quality packaged tuna. Producers scrape meat off of fish bones, grind it up with other body parts, and sell it for sushi and sandwiches. It has already been branded, "The New Pink Slime," and legislation banning it has been proposed in several states.Other common causes of food borne disease include papaya and cantaloupe.The Atlantic does point out that these numbers don't necessarily articulate the scope of the issue - many cases go unreported. It's likely that NY is just better at reporting food borne diseases than other states.

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For now, if you are looking to aboid foodborne illness, avoid Tuna if you don't know its origin, and any dodgy looking cantaloupe. You can also feel free to avoid New York. 

New York: The Greatest Place in the Country (For Salmonella Poisoning) from The Atlantic

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

pmurphy
I love nothing more than a summer tomato (maybe add some balsamic, basil, and home-made mozz). In my free-time, I cook, read about cooking, farm, read about farming, and eat. Food is a basic necessity, but good food ought to be a fundamental right.

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1 Comment

pierino
pierino July 20, 2012
I'm sorry but this piece is silly and shallow. Food borne illness is a real concern. Salmonella is the least of our worries. I'm guessing that all of the readers have experienced it once but just didn't recognize the symptoms. Listeria and e-coli contamination are far more serious---like you could die.
What does a "dodgy looking canteloupe" resemble? It's not like you can inspect it for listeria contamination like the ones that were sent to market from Colorado Springs last year. There have been outbreaks of e-coli poisoning from supposedly triple-washed bagged lettuces from California. This practice actually spreads the bacteria as a convenience to your home cook making a salad and potentially poisoning your whole family.