How are vegetables and fruits responsible for massive outbreaks of illnesses such as hepatitis, E. coli, and listeria?

Question

What’s happening to these produce items to make them so contaminated, and how is it prevented in most other crops?

In: 2

Answer 1

Fruits and vegetables do not inherently need to be washed and cleansed in ways that counter those germs before being eaten, so if a large batch does get covered in those germs or if the handlers are infected or if the tools are infected, the germs can spread without being (for example) killed in the cooking process.

Also, many plants grow in an outdoor environment. You know what else is in the same environment? Birds and other animals. Those animals poop. That poop gets on the plants. (as an important note, these things happen with indoor storage, with mice and bugs). Raw cookie dough is more dangerous (for most people) because of its raw flour (another plant product, but one that might be infected in ways normal use actually cleanses) than it is for its raw eggs.