The group that dubbed fettuccine alfredo ``a heart attack on a plate'' is now sounding alarms about some healthy foods.

The latest report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization, concerns the safety of our food supply.

The headline on the center's press release warned of the 10 ``riskiest'' FDA-regulated foods. The point was to prod the Food and Drug Administration to improve oversight of food safety.

There are a reported 76 million cases of food-borne illness each year, so this is a valid concern. But a quick read by a consumer could lead to unnecessarily dropping some healthy choices from their daily diet.

The ``risky list'' compiled by the center: leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries (meat and poultry are regulated by USDA, so were not included in the assessment). A review by the center of the last 19 years of food data revealed 1,500 definable outbreaks, causing approximately 50,000 illnesses associated with the top 10 riskiest foods.

Food industry groups responded that the center's report did not identify recently initiated safety measures, and did not discuss the role of transportation and handling in food-borne illness.

The FDA, under recently appointed commissioner Margaret Hamburg, has already begun addressing food safety. In August, she reported that her agency will act swiftly and aggressively to monitor companies that violate food safety regulations. Names of violators and food recalls are listed online.

I don't see the center's report as a reason to change eating habits, but it is a reminder to review home food preparation techniques: Keep hot food hot (temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy most bacteria) and cold food cold (40 degrees Fahrenheit or below). Use separate cutting boards for cooked and raw foods. Wash produce and your hands thoroughly. Clean kitchen sponges and countertops to prevent cross contamination. Don't eat raw eggs and if you have a weak immune system avoid raw oysters, unpasteurized cheeses and raw milk.

A food thermometer is an inexpensive purchase that ensures meat is cooked thoroughly.

The bottom line: don't give up the greens, get your kitchen clean.

For more on food safety and a list of food-safety violators, visit the FDA's website,

www.foodsafety.gov.

Sheah Rarback is a registered dietitian and on the faculty of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Her column runs every other week.

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