There’s a reason food safety experts order differently than everyone else. The danger tends to hide in the items people assume are safe.
Several food safety attorneys, scientists, and former inspectors have been blunt about what they personally skip at restaurants, based on decades of outbreak data and firsthand experience with people who got seriously sick. Their lists look less indulgent than you might expect.
Here’s what food safety experts told The Washington Post they won’t order when eating out.
1. Bagged salads and leafy greens
Salads top the avoid list for people who deal with foodborne illness for a living. Bill Marler, a lawyer known for outbreak cases, says he skips them when he eats out. Leafy greens are processed in large batches and shipped widely. Problems spread fast. Food scientist Bryan Quoc Le adds one more issue: greens never get cooked. There’s no final step to stop bacteria.
2. Raw sprouts
Sprouts can be yummy on sandwiches and salads as a crunchy afterthought, but experts treat them like a warning label. They are grown in warm, humid conditions that also happen to be ideal for bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. Multiple outbreaks over the years have kept sprouts on the no-order list for food safety professionals.
3. Deli meats and ready-to-eat foods
Cold cuts look safe, especially once they’re buried in bread. However, they’re also a frequent source of Listeria, which hits pregnant people, older adults, and anyone immunocompromised especially hard. Bill Marler avoids ready-to-eat foods altogether because they depend on handling and cold storage rather than cooking to stay safe.
4. Undercooked Ground beef
Steaks aren’t the villain they once were. Several experts note that bacteria on whole cuts of beef tend to live on the surface and die during normal cooking. Ground beef is different. Grinding mixes bacteria throughout the meat, so it needs to reach a safe internal temperature. Some food safety experts order burgers well done or avoid them entirely.
5. fruit cups and Pre-cut produce
Pre-cut fruit goes through more hands than a whole apple ever will. Once it’s sliced, there’s less room for error, and everything depends on how it’s handled, stored, and kept cold before it reaches the table.
Foodborne illness is grossly common. According to the CDC, roughly one in six Americans gets sick from contaminated food each year. Experts stress that most restaurants follow safety rules, but certain foods leave less room for error.
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