7 foods with the highest security risks at the moment

Food security is a major public health problem with the disease, hospitalizations and deaths of contaminated food.

Confirmed cases of food origin in the United States jumped 25% last year, according to a 2025 report in the United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education fund.

“At present, some of the largest food security risks include raw oysters, cucumbers, sweet cheeses, chopped beef, germs, raw milk, money vegetables, eggs, frozen berries and cold meats”, “ Don Thushara Galbadage, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Sciences Applied to Texas Christian University, Health.

“These foods have been linked to recent epidemics of pathogens such as Salmonella,, E. coli,, ListeriaAnd even viruses such as hepatitis A, “he said. These pathogens can cause serious illness and even lead to death in extreme cases.

1. raw oysters and other raw crustaceans

Risk: Raw crustaceans, such as raw oysters, can transport potentially harmful microorganisms such as Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticusNorovirus, and hepatitis A, which can make humans sick. “These organizations are developing well in hot coastal waters and can cause serious or deadly infections,” said Galbadage.

Recent incident: In 2025, the states of Louisiana and the Gulf reported points Vibrio Multiple death infections and frozen frosty oysters imported from Asia were recalled due to Norovirus.

How to stay safe: To stay safe, Galbadage recommends avoiding raw oysters if you are an older, pregnant or immunocompromised adult. If you want to take advantage of oysters, cook carefully until their shells open and their flesh is completely heated to kill potentially harmful pathogens. It is also essential to keep the crustaceans at a more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for a maximum of 2 days before cooking them and preventing cross contamination with other foods.

Risk: Cucumbers can sometimes transport Salmonellawhich can contaminate their skin or flesh during irrigation with dangerous water or by poor manipulation and distribution practices.

Recent incident: “An epidemic with several states of Salmonella Montevideo in 2025 spoke badly on dozens of people and led to major cucumber reminders of Florida and Mexico, “said Galbadage.

How to stay safe: To reduce your risk of food of food origin, Galbadage has recommended to wash cucumber under running water before slicing them, cucumbs cut refrigerants quickly and to throw the cucumbers included in the recall notices.

Risk: “Sweet cheeses, like the fresco or the cotija, can shelter Listeria monocytogenesEspecially if it is made from unpasteurized milk, ”said Galbadage.

Recent incident: Several epidemics of listeriosis, a bacterial infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, In 2024, fresco Queso and Cotija cheese were allocated by Rizo-López Foods.

How to stay safe: Since the pasteurization process kills most pathogenic pathogens, it is recommended to choose pasteurized cheeses whenever possible. Cheeses must be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less to avoid the growth of pathogens. Galbadage also highlighted the importance of checking the expiration dates and advised groups at high risk of completely avoiding unpasteurized cheese.

Risk: Unlike whole cuts like steaks, chopped beef presents a higher food security risk because everything E. coli On the surface, mixes through meat during grinding. If the meat is insufficient, these pathogens can survive, increasing the risk of food of food.

Recent incident: Galbadage shared that alerts and reminders of food security in 2025 targeted of chopped beef contaminated by E. coli O157: H7, the most common E. coli tension to cause disease in people.

How to stay safe: To destroy potentially harmful bacteria, the USDA recommends heating the chopped beef at a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also important to wash your hands and carefully disinfect the preparation surfaces after manipulation of raw beef and separate raw meat from other foods to avoid cross contamination.

Risk: The germs are cultivated in hot and humid conditions that create the perfect growth environment for harmful bacteria as Salmonella,, E. coliAnd Listeria. In addition, unlike many vegetables, germs are often consumed raw or only cooked, which means that these pathogens survive their surface. This makes germs one of the most risky foods for contamination. The freezing process does not kill these pathogens, which means that frozen frozen foods, such as beans, are also a concern.

Recent incident: “In 2025, germinated moongs and butterfly beans sold freezed under certain brands were recalled after a Salmonella Epidemic, “said Falling.

How to stay safe: “Vulnerable groups should avoid raw germs,” ​​warned Galbadage. To avoid potential foods of food origin, it is preferable to carefully cook the germs before eating and washing your hands and disinfecting kitchen surfaces after handling to avoid cross contamination.

Risk: Raw and not pasteurized dairy products like raw milk and raw cheeses can be contaminated by harmful bacteria such as Salmonella,, Campylobacter,, E. coliAnd Listeria. “These foods can also transport viruses such as avian flu (H5N1),” said Galbadage.

Recent incident: A Salmonella The epidemic in 2023-2024 which spoke badly of more than 170 people, the majority of them under the age of 18, were linked to raw and not pasteurized milk of a dairy farm in California. In 2025, the CDC reiterated warnings on raw milk in the middle of the concerns of avian flu.

How to stay safe: If you consume dairy products, it is recommended to avoid raw dairy products, such as raw milk and raw cheese. It is preferable to buy pasteurized products, which considerably reduces the risk of contamination by potentially harmful pathogens.

Risk: “Toxin Shiga producer E. coli (STEC) and Salmonella Frequently contaminate green leafy vegetables on the ground or during treatment, ”explained the galbadage. STEC infection can sometimes transform into uremic hemolytic syndrome (HUS), a severe condition which can cause renal failure, long -term health complications and, in some cases, death.

Recent incident: “The epidemics in progress in 2024-2025 linked to the mixtures of Roman and salad led the Greens with FDA leaves E. coli (STEC) Action plan, ”said Galbadage. The Greens Stec Greens Action Plan, which includes priority inspections, targeted sampling and progress in the science of detection and prevention of foods of food origin, aims to reduce E. coli Epidemics attached to green leafy vegetables.

How to stay safe: To reduce the risk of food of food, it is important to wash the leaf vegetables under running water before eating them. It is also essential to refrigerate green vegetables with or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the growth of pathogens and to throw green vegetables that show a damaged rot or appearance.

Galbadage explained that there are several factors stimulating the increase in foods of food origin, in particular:

• Climate change: The increase in temperatures of the ocean of climate change contributes to more Vibrio Epidemics in oysters, while the increase in floods propagate harmful pathogens in the fields of cultures, which increases the risk of food of food.
• Inspection and staff shortages: “Limited budgets mean fewer inspections in farms and factories and less personnel trained in the transformation of factories and farms can cause sanitation,” said Galbadage.
• Globalized supply chains: Galbadage has explained that foods imported such as berries and cucumbers make surveillance more difficult and can delay food reminders.
• Cold chain weaknesses: Transport or storage interruptions can create conditions that allow bacteria to multiply.
• Consumer handling: Poor refrigeration and handling of food, undercrampons risky foods and ignore food reminders increase your personal risk of contracting foods of food.

Although food of food is a real concern, it is important to know that you can considerably reduce your risks by following simple food safety protocols.

“The good news is that most foods of food origin are avoidable,” said Galbadage. “By carefully cooking food, keeping refrigerated products and meats, avoiding dairy products and raw crustaceans and paying attention to reminders, we can reduce the risk of these infections.”

Currently, foods such as raw crustaceans, cucumbers, green leafy vegetables and unpasteurized milk are among the most common culprits in food safety reminders and food of food.

To reduce your risk of food of food origin, follow the key safety steps, such as cooking food at their recommended temperatures, hand washing and disinfect surfaces and avoid high -risk items such as raw milk and germs.

Staying informed of the latest food security reminders is also crucial to protect yourself and your family.