It's been said many times that the U.S. has one of the safest food supplies in the world. But take a look at our food safety history and you'll believe otherwise. Meats can be sold with food-borne pathogens in them. Peanuts were once shipped with positive salmonella contamination. And leafy greens, namely romaine lettuce and spinach, are the largest (and most notorious) carriers of E. coli.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 48 million people get sick from food-borne illness each year in the U.S — which is not a comforting statistic. While many strides have been made toward improving food protocols and regulations, the overall system remains broken as major regulatory agencies continue to take advantage of consumer safety.
