These 25 Foods Are Most Likely to Cause Foodborne Illness

Chipotle has become the poster child for food safety concerns impacting reputation and bottom line. E.coli outbreaks over the last several years have led to dozens of apologies by Chipotle execs, wide coverage of the chain’s new-and-improved safety checks and promises of free food, it seems things are on their way to returning back to normal.

This and the many major foodborne illness outbreaks reported of late highlight the importance of food safety. Knowing where your meals come from and the risks associated with different types of food is key to keeping potential bacteria at bay.

Of course, there are times when you cannot anticipate when a meal is safe. HealthGrove crunched the numbers to identify the Top 25 foods that are most commonly involved in foodborne illness outbreaks.

It is important to note that the CDC aggregates foodborne illness reports from state and local reporting agencies, and it is up to these agencies to classify the food that caused a given outbreak. They then found the food types that caused the most outbreaks in that time span and ranked them by the most average annual outbreaks. Ties are broken by the average number of people affected per outbreak.

25. Coleslaw

Total outbreaks: 91
Average annual outbreaks: 5.35
Average number of illnesses: 21.03
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

24. Refried beans

Total outbreaks: 95
Average annual outbreaks: 5.59
Average number of illnesses: 16.24
Most common bacteria or virus type: Clostridium perfringens

23. Lettuce

Total outbreaks: 96
Average annual outbreaks: 5.65
Average number of illnesses: 25.94
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

22. Ham

Total outbreaks: 96
Average annual outbreaks: 5.65
Average number of illnesses: 32.09
Most common bacteria or virus type: Staphylococcus aureus

21. Taco

Total outbreaks: 100
Average annual outbreaks: 5.88
Average number of illnesses: 16.32
Most common bacteria or virus type: Clostridium perfringens

20. Ice

Total outbreaks: 102
Average annual outbreaks: 6
Average number of illnesses: 33.16
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

19. Shrimp

Total outbreaks: 103
Average annual outbreaks: 6.06
Average number of illnesses: 8.49
Most common bacteria or virus type: Vibrio parahaemolyticus

18. Burrito

Total outbreaks: 104
Average annual outbreaks: 6.12
Average number of illnesses: 38.61
Most common bacteria or virus type: Clostridium perfringens

17. Soup

Total outbreaks: 106
Average annual outbreaks: 6.24
Average number of illnesses: 13
Most common bacteria or virus type: Clostridium perfringens

16. Tuna

Total outbreaks: 109
Average annual outbreaks: 6.41
Average number of illnesses: 5.78
Most common bacteria or virus type: Scombroid toxin

15. Potato

Total outbreaks: 109
Average annual outbreaks: 6.41
Average number of illnesses: 34
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

14. Eggs

Total outbreaks: 111
Average annual outbreaks: 6.53
Average number of illnesses: 20.03
Most common bacteria or virus type: Salmonella enterica

13. Potato salad

Total outbreaks: 123
Average annual outbreaks: 7.24
Average number of illnesses: 42.09
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

12. Salad

Total outbreaks: 185
Average annual outbreaks: 10.88
Average number of illnesses: 23.3
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

11. Cake

Total outbreaks: 188
Average annual outbreaks: 11.06
Average number of illnesses: 26.66
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

10. Turkey

Total outbreaks: 198
Average annual outbreaks: 11.65
Average number of illnesses: 35.33
Most common bacteria or virus type: Salmonella enterica

9. Oysters

Total outbreaks: 227
Average annual outbreaks: 13.35
Average number of illnesses: 11.3
Most common bacteria or virus type: Vibrio parahaemolyticus

8. Green salads

Total outbreaks: 269
Average annual outbreaks: 15.82
Average number of illnesses: 25.77
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

7. Pizza

Total outbreaks: 291
Average annual outbreaks: 17.12
Average number of illnesses: 7.88
Most common bacteria or virus type: Staphylococcus aureus

6. Rice

Total outbreaks: 300
Average annual outbreaks: 17.65
Average number of illnesses: 11.36
Most common bacteria or virus type: Bacillus cereus

5. Pork

Total outbreaks: 304
Average annual outbreaks: 17.88
Average number of illnesses: 21.39
Most common bacteria or virus type: Salmonella enterica

4. Fish

Total outbreaks: 562
Average annual outbreaks: 33.06
Average number of illnesses: 5.13
Most common bacteria or virus type: Ciguatoxin

3. Sandwiches

Total outbreaks: 599
Average annual outbreaks: 35.24
Average number of illnesses: 18.03
Most common bacteria or virus type: Norovirus Genogroup I

2. Beef

Total outbreaks: 827
Average annual outbreaks: 48.65
Average number of illnesses: 19.62
Most common bacteria or virus type: Clostridium perfringens

1. Chicken

Total outbreaks: 840
Average annual outbreaks: 49.41
Average number of illnesses: 17.51
Most common bacteria or virus type: Salmonella enterica