There’s one vegetable you should never eat raw, food poisoning expert warns

Most of us imagine that there are few things healthier than a crunchy, fresh salad - but that’s not always the case.

One popular salad ingredient is behind several large, deadly food poisoning outbreaks - and is regularly listed among the most dangerous foods out there.

In an essay for The Conversation, Professor Tim Spector of King’s College says that beansprouts and watercress are best avoided - and killed 50 people in a recent food poisoning outbreak.

In America, raw and lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to more than 30 bacterial food poisoning incidents in the last 20 years.

Professor Tim Spector says, ‘The only greens I would always avoid are sprouted foods (bean sprouts, watercress) used in salads which you shouldn’t trust.

‘They are usually grown in a warm, moist environment where bacteria thrive.

‘Sprouts contaminated with E.coli caused the worst outbreak in modern history killing 51 Germans in 2011.’