11 Foods Most Likely to Cause Sickness

As long as there are no allergy issues, a simple peanut butter sandwich seems like one of the safest and most wholesome foods one could eat or feed to a child. However, the recent Trader Joe's peanut butter recall (which has now been expanded to include 100 different products that contain nuts and seeds made by supplier Sunland) highlights how food poisoning can come from our favorite, most nutritious foods. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that about 48 million Americans per year are infected with bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens from contaminated food. Nearly 150,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Some sources say that the numbers could be as much as double the CDC estimates. Germs spread from meat and poultry account for 30-40 percent of infections, and according to Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), 10 other items cause another 40 percent of cases. Safe handling, washing and cooking are highly recommended to reduce the risks.