The month of May means it’s nearly time for America’s favorite food lovers’ tradition: visiting your local farmers market. While the romaine lettuce implicated in the recent E coli outbreak was sold at supermarkets, food safety advocates are reminding consumers that produce from farmers markets may also harbor pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, which are found naturally in soil as well as in manure.
If you made a New Year’s resolution to improve your health by eating more produce, the folks at Stop Foodborne Illness have a few warnings for you. While a more plant-based diet can be very healthy, you still must be mindful about the risk of foodborne pathogens.