The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that there are several foods and ingredients that may be harmful for the human body and may also lead to illness. The most recent finding on food by the FDA is that it considers that consumption of raw cookie dough could make you sick.

In a recent report, Jenny Scott, a senior advisor in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said that eating raw dough or batter — whether it’s for bread, cookies, pizza or tortillas — could make you, and your child sick. The FDA issued the message to public as a recent outbreak of E. coli was linked to contaminated flour. So far, 38 people in 20 states have reportedly been infected by a strain of bacteria called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121 found in flour.

Meanwhile, the Federal government estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the United States, that is equal to sickening 1 in 6 Americans every year.

Here is a list of food that FDA believes can be dangerous and cause several illnesses.

  • Consumption of meats, stews, gravies, vanilla sauce could cause B. cereus food poisoning, which is comes from bacteria Bacillus cereus. The symptoms include abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea.
  • Raw and undercooked poultry and unpasteurized milk could lead to Campylobacteriosis, which is caused from bacteria Campylobacter jejuni. The symptoms include diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting. Sometimes the diarrhea may also be bloody.
  • Improperly canned foods, especially home-canned vegetables, fermented fish and baked potatoes in aluminum foil is believed to cause Botulism illness, which is caused from Clostridiumbotulinum bacteria. The symptoms of the illness include vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, double vision, difficulty in swallowing, muscle weakness. This can also be fatal as the illness may result in respiratory failure.
  • Various types of fresh produce such as imported berries, lettuce and basil may lead to Cyclosporiasis caused from Cyclospora cayetanensis, a protozoan that causes disease in humans. This may show symptoms such as diarrhea (usually watery), loss of appetite, substantial loss of weight, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
  • Undercooked beef (especially hamburger), unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables (e.g. sprouts) may cause Hemorrhagic colitisor E. coli O157:H7 infection with symptoms such as severe (often bloody) diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. This is mostly common in children 4 years or younger and could also lead to kidney failure.
  • Shellfish from contaminated waters could cause Hepatitis. This may also cause viral gastroenteritis, winter diarrhea, acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and food infection.
  • Consumption of unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk and ready-to-eat deli meats may cause Listeriosis that show symptoms of fever, muscle aches, and nausea or diarrhea. The elderly or immunocompromised patients may develop bacteremia or meningitis.
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