BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A Hannaford recall has one WCAX viewer asking how cooked food can make you sick with salmonella. It comes after Hannaford last week recalled six deli and produce items linked to a broader recall involving jalapeños grown in Mexico. Those items included pre-prepared foods like burritos.
Diane from Williston emailed to say she was confused by the product recalls because they were cooked foods. She wanted to know how cooked foods can be contaminated.
Emily Mosites, an epidemiologist with the Vermont Department of Health, says contamination can still happen after a food is cooked if it comes into contact with salmonella. “If that is in that prepared food and it is mixed in with other ingredients, it doesn’t really matter if those other ingredients are cooked, because that contaminated ingredient can contaminate the other ingredients,” she said.
Mosites says if you eat something contaminated with salmonella, you may need to seek medical treatment, but most people can recover on their own. She says young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems should seek care right away if they suspect they have salmonella.
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Dining and Cooking