To Your Health! Food Safety for Seniors
To Your Health! Food Safety for Seniors
Seniors have a lifetime of experience shopping, preparing and eating food. And fortunately, Americans enjoy one of the safest most healthful food supplies in the world. But a lot has changed over your lifetime--from the way food is produced and distributed, to the way it is prepared and eaten.
What is changing is one’s ability to fight-off dangerous bacteria that may invade your body through the food you eat. Some foods may contain bacteria that can be especially harmful to older adults and cause serious illness. This article highlights foods older adults are advised not to eat.
| To reduce risks of illness from bacteria in food, seniors (and others who face special risks of illness) are advised not to eat: |
- Raw fin fish and shellfish, including oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops.
- Hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
- Raw or unpasteurized milk or soft cheeses (such as Feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheese) unless they are labeled "made with pasteurized milk".
- Unpasteurized refrigerated pates or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pates and meat spreads may be eaten.
- Refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel, is often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." These products are found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
- Raw or lightly cooked eggs or products containing raw eggs such as salad dressings, cookie or cake batter, sauces, and beverages such as egg nog. (Such foods made from commercially pasteurized eggs are safe to eat.)
- Raw meat or poultry.
- Raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, and radish)
- Unpasteurized or untreated fruit or vegetable juice (These juices will carry a warning label.)
- New information on food safety is constantly emerging. Recommendations and precautions are updated as scientists learn more about preventing foodborne illness. You need to be aware of and follow the most current information on food safety. See the information at the end of this document for ways to learn about food safety updates.
