Green veggies to blame for the most food poisoning cases

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - About one in six Americans get sick from food poisoning every year, but you might be surprised to know the most common culprit.

Contaminated poultry causes the most food-related deaths, but as for the more common food poisoning illnesses, leafy green vegetables, like lettuce and spinach, are to blame.

A lot of vegetable-related illnesses come from Norovirus , which can have more to do with food handlers and less to do with the food itself.

Denise Mason of Agawam told 22News that you can never be too careful with what you eat.

“I wash my greens, even though they say triple-washed I wash them anyway. I'm starting to wash before I peel an orange or anything; I'm starting to wash those as well,”

Red meat used to get the blame for a lot of food poisoning illnesses because deadly e coli outbreaks. But thanks to significant changes in beef handling, there are now fewer illnesses.