May 17, 2001

May is Older Americans Month and CFSAN Director Joseph A. Levitt is taking this opportunity to remind seniors and their families of the critical need to handle food safely. "Seniors are especially vulnerable to serious complications from foodborne illness. As we age, the immune system weakens. In addition, other existing medical conditions may increase susceptibility to food poisoning," said Levitt.

Levitt said changes in the way food is produced and distributed now is different from 50 years ago. It used to be that food was produced close to where people lived. Many people shopped daily, and prepared and ate their food at home. Eating in restaurants was saved for special occasions. Today, food in local grocery stores comes from all over the world, all year long. And nearly 50 percent of the money spent on food goes to buy food that others prepare. Because of these factors, many more bacteria are in the food supply today than existed a generation ago.

When preparing food at home it is important to follow these four basic steps, said Levitt:

• Clean-wash hands and surfaces often. Also, wash all fruits and vegetables in running water before eating.
• Separate-Don’t cross contaminate. Be sure to separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other food items that won’t be cooked-like salad, for example. Always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and unwashed fresh produce. Place cooked food on a clean plate, and not on the plate that held raw food (like meat, poultry or seafood) because bacteria from the raw food could contaminate your cooked food.
• Cook to proper temperature. Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria. Use a food thermometer to ensure that foods are properly cooked all the way through.
• Chill-refrigerate foods quickly. To keep harmful bacteria from multiplying, refrigerate or freeze all perishable foods. Keep your refrigerator set a 40 degrees F. and your freezer at 0 degrees F. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or microwave oven, never on the counter.

In addition to following the four basic food safety steps, seniors are advised not to eat the following foods to reduce their risk of foodborne illness:

• Raw fin fish and shellfish, particularly oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops.
• Raw or unpasteurized milk or cheese.
• Raw meat or poultry.
• Raw or lightly cooked egg or egg products including salad dressings, cookie or cake batter, sauces, and beverages such as egg nog. (Foods made from commercially pasteurized eggs are safe to eat.)
• Raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover and radish).
• Soft cheese such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheese such as "queso blanco fresco." (Hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt may be eaten.)
• Refrigerated pates or meat spreads. (Canned or "shelf-stable" pates and meat spreads may be eaten.)
• Hot dogs or luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoke seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky" and is found in the refrigerator section or at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. (Canned or shelf stable seafood is maybe eaten.)
• Unpasteurized or untreated fruit or vegetable juice. (These juices will carry a warning label.)

For more information on seniors and food safety, write for CFSAN's free publication, "To Your Health! Food Safety for Seniors" :

For general food safety information, call FDA's toll-free 24-hour information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD. Or visit FDA's food safety web site at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov.

For meat and poultry food safety information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555.

Hypertext updated by dms 2001-MAY-18