Have you ever eaten red kidney beans?

Have you ever eaten red kidney beans? - I did once, many years ago. - My goodness, they made me so ill! - Diarrhoea and abdominal pain. I pretty well took up residence in the toilet for about 24 hours! - I had no idea food poisoning from a vegetable could be so bad! I hadn't known that red kidney beans contain the toxic agent Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) which causes food poisoning when the beans are consumed raw or undercooked.

Too late I learnt that these red beans should be soaked in water for at least 5 hours during which the water should be replaced periodically, then poured away and the beans boiled briskly in fresh water, with occasional stirring, for at least 10 minutes. That seems an awful lot of messing about to ensure that a few beans don't poison you! - My considered advice is that it's better to be safe than sorry, i.e. avoid eating these toxic veg! - I'll certainly never touch them again. I'd rather go hungry...

Raw bean sprouts need to be washed and thoroughly cooked before being eaten

This is because of the risk of Salmonella infection. See WebMD article.

Many pre-packaged salads contain bacteria which can cause potentially deadly food poisoning.

One in 10 salads has poisonous bacteria - Sunday Telegraph

Extract:

"Food safety experts are calling for stricter production controls on ready-to-eat salads after tests revealed that many contain bacteria which can cause potentially deadly food poisoning.

A report compiled by the government's Health Protection Agency (HPA), found that one in 10 pre-packaged salads containing meat or seafood was contaminated with the listeria bacteria. Evidence of E. coli and salmonella was found in some bags of salad.
The HPA report, which involved testing more than 2,600 ready-to-eat salads, concluded that the control of bacteria in food manufacturing and in shops was essential to minimise the potential for hazardous food contamination."


Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
How to Lose weight!

See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/.html
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

See Sodium in foods and Associated health conditions

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free...

Cadbury in court yesterday about the salmonella contamination in its products

Cadbury allowed salmonella in chocolate to save cash, court told - Guardian

Extracts:

"The confectionery giant Cadbury introduced an "utterly inappropriate" new testing system for salmonella in an attempt to save money by reducing wastage, a court heard yesterday.

But the change led to a "major food poisoning outbreak" last year in which more than 30 people became ill. The company was last June forced to recall more than a million bars of chocolate in one of the biggest public health alerts of its kind."

"At the opening of a hearing at Birmingham crown court at which Cadbury will be sentenced, Barry Berlin, prosecuting for Birmingham city council, said that in 2003 Cadbury altered its testing system to allow for what it considered to be "safe" levels of salmonella in its products. But in fact, official guidelines say that there should be no salmonella in ready-to-eat products such as chocolate and confectionery at all.

Referring recorder James Guthrie QC to research literature on salmonella, Mr Berlin went on: "Cadbury knew perfectly well, we submit, that outbreaks of salmonella had been associated with very low levels in chocolate." Although the potentially fatal organism was identified by Cadbury in its products in January last year, the company failed to report it until June. "


Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
How to Lose weight!

See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/.html
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

See Sodium in foods
and Associated health conditions

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free...

Botulism warning about some vacuum-packed meat sold in Scotland and Cumbria

Botulism warning over vacuum-packed meat - Telegraph

Extract:

"Consumers have been warned not to eat batches of vacuum-packed meat sold in Scotland and Cumbria over concerns it could be infected with one of the most lethal forms of food poisoning.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued the alert over 2.6kg of smoked wild venison and smoked beef amid fears it is tainted with the deadly botulism bacteria.

The warning applies to 100g packs of meat produced by Islay Fine Food Company, Isle of Islay, which was sold at several specialist retail and catering outlets.

The beef batch has a use-by date of May 9 2007. The venison batch has a use-by date of June 9, 2007."