Food safety is vital for our health, particularly as we get older. Although we have an incredibly safe food supply chain in North America, food poisoning incidents still occur, particularly among older adults.
A past study from the Colorado School of Public Health, for instance, estimates 4 pathogens — Campylobacter, E. coli O157, Listeria and Salmonella — cause about 226,000 illnesses annually among US adults aged 65 years and over, resulting in 9,700 hospitalizations and 500 deaths.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration backs these numbers, indicating that food safety is especially important for those at high risk: the aging, those living with chronic disease (such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer and heart disease), and those on medications.
Why is food poisoning more common in older adults? For starters, our immune system, which keeps us healthy and fights off disease, may lose its brisk response with age, increasing our vulnerability to foodborne illnesses (food poisoning).
Chronic disease further depletes our immune systems. Stomach acid, which is vital to gut health, alters with age, increasing our susceptibility to pathogens. In addition, our sense of sight and smell decreases over the years, making it difficult to detect a potential source of food poisoning.
Another common cause is improper refrigeration. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), when there are warm conditions, one thousand germs can become one million germs in just under two hours. As a result, the FSA recommends fridge temperatures be set at 5ºC (41ºF).
Keeping a Watchful Eye on Food Safety
The way you store and prepare foods can increase your susceptibility to food poisoning by germs like Staphylococcus or E. coli. Cleanliness can also be broken by food handlers anywhere in the supply chain.
Be aware of the increased risk when handling raw or uncooked fish, meat, eggs or dairy, as well as unpasteurized milk, cheese and juices. Other sources to be cautious of include raw sprouts and improperly washed fruits and vegetables, as well as cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry.
Editor’s Note: For a detailed list of major pathogens that cause foodborne illness, as well as a list of their sick symptoms and potential impact, visit fda.gov/food.
