Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger

The Dangers of Foodborne Pathogens

January 29, 2026

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  • Raw alfalfa sprouts pose a significant food safety risk due to contamination with pathogens like Salmonella, and broccoli sprouts are suggested as a safer alternative due to lower contamination rates. 
  • Consumption of poultry and pork is strongly linked to colonization by extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains like ST131, which cause a substantial portion of human urinary tract infections (UTIs), resulting in vegetarians having a lower UTI risk. 
  • Fecal pathogens, such as noroviruses, may contaminate produce via the water used in pesticide application, suggesting that choosing organic produce or thoroughly washing all produce may mitigate this microbiological hazard. 

Segments

Alfalfa Sprouts Salmonella Risk
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Eating raw alfalfa sprouts is discouraged by the CDC due to Salmonella risk, which has sickened at least 2,700 Americans over decades.
  • Summary: Raw sprouts can cause Salmonella food poisoning, especially dangerous for the very young, old, pregnant, or immunosuppressed. FDA testing found 1% of alfalfa sprouts and 10% of seed samples contaminated. Contamination can occur within the seed itself, making home growing unsafe for alfalfa.
Broccoli Sprouts Safety Alternative
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(00:03:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Broccoli sprouts are a safer raw sprout alternative because their smooth seeds show significantly lower contamination rates with pathogens like E. coli O157H7.
  • Summary: Broccoli sprouts have smooth seeds, and large-scale testing found very few positive samples, suggesting they are less prone to contamination than alfalfa. These sprouts are rich in sulforaphane, which offers benefits ranging from cancer cell combat to detoxifying air pollution.
Poultry Linked to UTI Pathogens
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(00:03:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Retail chicken is a major reservoir for ExPEC bacteria (like ST131) that cause antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women.
  • Summary: The foodborne uropathogen E. coli ST131 spreads from poultry colonization in the gut to cause UTIs, which can become life-threatening if they spread to the bloodstream. Researchers found about 20% of UTI-causing E. coli strains matched those found in local retail poultry, potentially causing over a million UTIs annually in American women.
Dietary Impact on UTI Risk
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(00:08:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Adopting a vegetarian diet is associated with an approximately 20% lower risk of developing UTIs, independent of other health factors like diabetes.
  • Summary: Since meat, especially poultry, is the major reservoir for UTI-causing E. coli, avoiding meat reduces exposure to these bacteria. This protective association holds true even when comparing against organic chicken, which still harbors ExPEC UTI bacteria.
Produce Contamination via Pesticides
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(00:10:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Pesticide application water, potentially sourced from fecal-contaminated ponds, can introduce microbiological hazards like noroviruses onto produce.
  • Summary: While animal products cause most foodborne deaths, produce sickens millions, often via noroviruses spread through the fecal-oral route. The spraying of pesticides may introduce these fecal pathogens onto fruits and vegetables, suggesting that washing produce under running water is a necessary step.