OTTAWA —Preparing and eating food does not seem like such a dangerous task, but if you take a look at the webpage for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, eating can sometimes be life threatening.

In 2010, the agency sent out dozens of notices of lunch and dinner disasters waiting to happen. They ranged from salmonella in salads to undeclared eggs in cookies. Milk in stuffing mixes and toxin in shellfish.

The latest voluntary recall was issued this week, warning consumers about Little Bear fresh greens which may be contaminated with salmonella. There have been no reported illnesses with the products which are being voluntarily recalled by J & D Produce Inc.

According to CFIA, food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell bad, but consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a food-borne illness.

“In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis,” the agency warns.

Warnings were issued every month of the year in 2010, covering foods from all corners of Canada and imported goods.

In December it was the greens and undeclared nuts in cookies.

In November, it was cheeses possibly contaminated by listeria; undeclared milk in pastries and bacteria in pet foods.

October was no less scary, with possibly paralitic toxins in some brands of oysters and mussels; more of the dreaded undeclared milk, this time in stuffing mixes and those pesky peanuts again.

And can you remember those beautiful days of September without thinking about E.coli in beef burgers; bacteria in sauces and listeria in wieners — the barbecuing triple threat.

When most people were thinking about swimming and lounging on the beach in August, CFIA was busy issuing warnings ranging from metal found in cheesecakes; more undeclared milk and salmonella in a wide variety of foods.

July brought “dangerous” bacteria in some brands of pepperoni; pathogens in some ready-to-eat meats and a wide variety of bacterial invasions.

June brought us more salmonella, this time in cardamom seeds; listeria in some smoked meats and food tampering in Toronto.

May was metal pins in garlic bread; glass fragments in espresso and E.coli in leaf lettuce.

April was allergy month with undeclared eggs in chocolates; undeclared wheat gluten in some flours and undeclared milk in some flavour intensifiers.

March came in like a lion with the horror of salmonella in various food items and not only undeclared milk, but also undeclared eggs in soup mixes.

The undeclared items covered the food map again in February, with clams in some soups and milk in margarine.

And January had tampering warnings along with listeria and that sneaky salmonella again.

All of this can be found at the agency’s website, http://www.foodsafety.gc.ca/english/fssa/raprece.asp. Various links will take you to safe food preparation tips, warnings and what to do in case of trouble.

In its report this year on food safety, prepared in conjunction with Agriculture Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, CFIA said food sources and production are continually changing and consumers need to be vigilant.

“The government of Canada continues to review and adjust its food safety standards, policies, operational procedures and legislative framework, to ensure that its oversight responsibility for food safety remains effective,” the agency says.

Further information on food is also available at Health Canada’s website: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php