What Foods Contain Salmonella?

What Foods Contain Salmonella?
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There are a lot of foods that can carry the salmonella bacteria, and we have been seeing that more than ever with the many scares the media has shown us, such as the peanut butter scare a while back. Many of us think about salmonella being only in certain foods such as eggs or chicken, however there are many other foods that salmonella can be a part of.

The top 5 foods with the most trace of salmonella are as follows:

1. Eggs and Hidden Sources of Raw Eggs: Raw eggs, or eggs that are not cooked properly, can be a huge outlet for salmonella. Although most of us don’t eat raw eggs, sometimes we don’t even know we are eating them, such as in raw cookie dough, Caesar dressing, and eggnog.

2. Raw Fruits and Vegetables: While fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a balanced diet, they can carry salmonella on their skins/peels. To prevent salmonella poisoning, make sure you always wash them thoroughly before eating.

3. Chicken/Pork/Fish: Raw or uncooked meat can make anyone sick, so it should always be cooked thoroughly.

4. Unpasteurized dairy products: All dairy products should be pasteurized when consumed.

5. Yeast: Cooking products, cake mixes, and cookie dough can all contain salmonella when not cooked thoroughly.

Avoid Cross-Contamination

Since salmonella can be found in many uncooked or raw products you should always take precautions with cooking these foods. It is best to cook the food thoroughly but you should also be careful that the raw food does not come into contact with other foods.

You should also make sure you wash the entire counter surface once the raw chicken is off it. Many of us forget that there are a lot of germs and bacteria left on the counter after making dinner because we can’t see it. The problem is that bacteria can live there for a while and when you put something there - other foods, hands, etc. - it will get infected as well. So in order to make sure this doesn’t happen, always wipe your counter surface down really well with a cleanser that kills germs and bacteria. And we should never forget the power of hand washing! Scrub your hands right after you touch any raw foods so you don’t allow the bacteria to travel anywhere else.