Do Fresh Foods Cause More Food Poisoning?

According to a new Harris poll of over 2,000 adults, four in ten (42%) people said they've become sick in the past two years from something they ate (or so they think). Of those folks, 69% believe they know what made them sick and many eliminate that food from their diet entirely. Moreover, another 15% indicate that they advised family, friends and colleagues not to eat that food item.

One of the most interesting results of this study is that people are most concerned with the safety of fresh foods (followed by canned foods, other packaged foods, and frozen foods). Those that were at least somewhat concerned that fresh foods are safe to eat are most concerned about fresh meats (31%), fresh poultry (23%), fresh fish (20%), vegetables (16%) and fruit (8%).

As Americans struggle to eat healthier, how do our food safety concerns about fresh food affect our efforts to eat healthier? Is it true, or just a perception, that consumers are most likely to get sick from fresh foods? Are consumers failing to prepare their fresh foods correctly? In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan encourages us to buy more from the outside edges of the supermarket where all the fresh products are, instead of the processed foods in the inner aisles. Do Americans need to be educated on how to prepare fresh foods correctly?