Wooden pallets could be poisoning our food, consumer group's test show

A national consumer group says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should set minimum sanitary and safety standards for pallets used to transport food, after tests revealed the presence of bacteria that cause food poisoning.

"We believe it is essential to ensure that pathogens are not introduced at any step along the food transport system, from farm to fork," Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League executive director, said in a statement.

The recommendations follow recent tests conducted by the league on pallets -- usually wooden structures seated at the bottom of stacked products and used by forklifts -- to determine whether they may be carriers of pathogens.