Top food safety misconceptions

When my daughter bit into a red, ripe, juicy tomato tonight, I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it came from our own backyard garden. The seemingly relentless string of food recalls over the last couple of years have left many Americans, myself included, feeling less than secure in the safety of our nation's food supply.

When many people worry about food safety, they worry about meat, a fact that Forbes recently identified as one of the most commonly held food safety misconceptions. In fact, fresh produce is one of the largest sources of food-borne illnesses in the U.S., mainly because it's a raw product.

So what are the other misconceptions? Check out this Forbes gallery to learn more about them, but they include:

• that bacteria can be washed off
• that local always means food is safe
• that cooking can eliminate all bacteria
• that food-borne illnesses are rare
• that you don't need a food thermometer
• that cooked food is safe sitting out

Fruit and vegetables should make up a large chunk of your diet, so it's important to make sure that they are safe. To reduce your risk, follow these safe handling tips from the FDA, but also keep an eye out for food recalls so that you can eliminate any affected food you may have in your home.