The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has published a consumer guide to safer food called From Supermarket to Leftovers. The booklet is available from NutritionAction.com.
Every year, 48,000,000 Americans get sick from contaminated food. Three thousand Americans die from foodborne illness every year. Since contaminated food is getting into our homes, even though farmers and food processors are responsible for selling food that doesn’t make us sick, it’s up to the consumer to be the last line of defense. Sarah Klein, senior food safety attorney for CSPI wrote the booklet and calls her strategy “defensive eating”.
Some of the information in the book includes advice about the last item you should put in your grocery cart (seafood), what produce to seek out (local or organic) and what to avoid (raw sprouts), and why you should avoid raw, unpasteurized milk at all costs.
She also addresses the problem of antibiotic-resistant superbugs in meat and poultry. Since 80% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in the factory farm industry, which promotes the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that makes some foodborne illness (Foster Farms) harder to treat, you should look for labels that read “no antibiotics administered: USDA process verified” or “USDA organic.”
The booklet also has tips on how to pack safe lunches for your kids, how to avoid mercury in seafood, and how to avoid food poisoning during power outages and during the holidays. The booklet is published by CSPI’s Nutrition Action.
