Dining Out Danger: The Menu Items Food Safety Experts Refuse to Order

Food safety experts and lawyers who handle outbreak cases reveal they avoid certain restaurant dishes. Their reason: a high risk of foodborne illness. Two items top their "do not order" list: raw sprouts and pre-washed, bagged salads. Alfalfa and bean sprouts are risky because bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella can get inside their seeds. Washing does not remove these germs. "The conditions for growing sprouts are also ideal for growing pathogens," one expert explains. Bagged salads, though convenient, are a common source of outbreaks. Contamination can happen during processing and mixing. A single contaminated leaf can spread bacteria throughout the entire bag. These experts emphasize that while the risk of getting sick is statistically low, they choose to avoid these items based on their professional knowledge of past outbreaks. They advise that cooking vegetables kills harmful bacteria, making them safer to eat.