Continuing our list of the top ten foods that cause food poisoning. Some of these culprits are expected but some might come to many as a surprise. Resuming from our previous post, read on to read on about the next most dangerous food.

#9 Food Poisoning Culprit – Processed Meats

Processed meats, like ham and salami, come ninth into our list. Ever since the movement to make more organic food, more people have been committed to curing meats since there has been a higher demand for more sustainable and old-world preparation methods. But with this, some people are concerned about the food safety.

With more people curing meats in the back room in their restaurant, many regulations might not be met this way. Curing meats is a very complex process that needs to be taken account of, like pH levels, water activity level and cross contamination.

If any of these factors are not met well, it can cause food pathogens to grow in the cured meat. One of the more common pathogens that grows in processed meat is listeria. It is a slow working pathogen and can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 months to feel the full affects of this pathogen.

To prevent yourselves from getting food poisoning, here are some tips to follow;

• Wash hands, knives, countertops, and cutting boards after handling and preparing uncooked foods.

• Rinse raw produce thoroughly under running tap water before eating.

• Wash hands, knives, countertops, and cutting boards after handling and preparing uncooked foods.

• Consume perishable and ready-to-eat foods as soon as possible.

• Persons in higher risk groups should heat hot dogs, cold cuts, and deli meats before eating them.