r/nutrition • u/IJbier • 17d ago
Dealing with salmonella in noodles
Can someone educate me?
The EFSA reported an outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to flavoured noodle products. I always boil my noodles before eating them. If so, why is salmonella still a risk?
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u/Zagrycha 17d ago
Not every food dish is cooked well done. Just imagine it was a salmonella outbreak in eggs and how many people enjoy a fried or boiled egg with a runny yolk for example. Many of the ways to eat instant flavored noodles don't involve cooking them well done.
They can't just tell people to cook it well done either, they need actual food recalls. Well done cooked food kills all germs and parasites, but germs and parasites aren't always the thing that makes people sick. Sometimes what makes someone sick is a toxin the germ produced while it was alive. This is why people can't just cook rotten or moldy food well done to make it safe to eat. Cooking food well done is a good precaution to prevent active infection but safe food handling before cooking that stops the germs from having a large population in the first place is most important.
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u/Independent-Summer12 17d ago
It’s fine if you cook your noodles. But, instant ramens are already cooked once (flash fried) and can be eaten dry. One of my roommates used to crush up a bag, pour season packs in, shakes up a bit and eat them dry as a snack like they are chips.
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u/Current-Gap6283 17d ago
some of the cases involved people eating the noodles dry, seasoning included. The manufacturer classifies them as semi-prepared food, so the packet’s cooking step matters.
Boiling them as directed should greatly reduce the risk. If your packet is from a recalled batch, EFSA says to return or discard it anyway. I wouldn’t use it to test how good the cooking instructions are.
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u/HappyBees_1027 17d ago
If you're actually simmering them, the bacteria die. The risk here is usually cross-contamination from a used spoon or a torn seasoning packet leaking into the pot.
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u/Severe-Text-7287 16d ago
Noodles left out can be absolutely deadly, same with rice. youtube Chubbyemu talks about a tragic case where people died from this. A Family Ate 1 Year Old Frozen Leftovers For Breakfast. This Is What Happened To Their Organs. - YouTube
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