Study: Leafy greens top food poisoning source

A big government study has fingered leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach as the leading source of food poisoning, a perhaps uncomfortable conclusion for health officials who want us to eat our vegetables.

"Most meals are safe," said Dr. Patricia Griffin, one of the study's authors, who said the finding shouldn't discourage the eating of produce. Experts repeated often-heard advice: Be sure to wash those foods or cook them thoroughly.

While more people may have become sick from plants, more died from contaminated poultry, the study also found. The results were released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new report is the most comprehensive CDC has produced on the sources of food poisoning, covering the years 1998 through 2008.

About 1 in 5 illnesses were linked to leafy green vegetables, more than any other type of food. And nearly half of all food poisonings were attributed to produce in general, when illnesses from other fruits and vegetables were added in.

It's been kind of a tough month for vegetables. A controversy erupted when A Taco Bell startedairing aTV ad for its variety 12-pack of tacos, with a voice-over saying that bringing a vegetable tray to a football party is "like punting on fourth-and-1." It said that people secretly hate guests who bring vegetables to parties. The fast-food chain on Monday announcedsaid Monday it was pulling the commercial after receiving complaints that it discouraged people from eating vegetables.

Earlier this month, the FDA released a proposed rule for produce safety that would set new hygiene standards for farm workers, to try to reduce contact with animal waste and dirty water.

Many of the vegetable-related illnesses come from norovirus, which is often spread by cooks and food handlers. So contamination sometimes has more to do with the kitchen or restaurant it came from then the food itself, Griffin noted.

Red meat was once seen as a leading source of food poisoning. Significant safety improvements in beef handling were credited with lowering that risk.