Whether it is a fruit or a vegetable, tomatoes are very popular in our everyday meals. From eating it raw in a salad, cooking it in a stew or using it as a sauce, tomatoes are not only delicious but also versatile. But unfortunately this all rounder fruit/vegetable tops our list in the top 10 food that can cause food poisoning.

#6 Food Poisoning Culprit – Tomatoes

You are probably asking yourself or this blog why this fruit/vegetable falls into the category. As many of you know, tomatoes grow on vines and are picked right of it. The skin of the tomato touches dirt and farmers hand – you can only imagine all the bacteria that just lives on the skin! And more often than not, tomatoes are normally eaten raw – just plain as a snack, in salads or on a toastie.

These bacteria on the tomatoes have known to cause salmonella and E. coli – which gives the victim symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Steps to take to avoid getting sick when eating;

• Storing them properly before you eat it – you can leave it at room temperature until its ripe but once you slice the tomato, consume within 3 days.

• Thoroughly wash your tomato

• Peel the skin off

• Cook it to kill the bacteria on the skin