Basil

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Food consumption tumor risk⁵

  Basil in food contains alkenylbenzenes, but other basil compounds counteract their tumor-causing potential.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Food poisoning from fresh herbs²

  Fresh basil sold in the UK was found to carry Salmonella, and some people who ate it got sick.

• Food poisoning outbreak³

  Fresh basil in pesto sauce was the likely source of a food poisoning outbreak in Norway.

• Food poisoning from salads⁴

  Fresh basil in two salads was linked to a stomach illness outbreak in Missouri in 1999.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.