Some people are more vulnerable to food poisoning than others including pregnant women, their unborn and newborn children, older people (generally over the age of 65), people of all ages whose immune systems have been weakened by disease or illness, anyone on medication that can suppress the immune system.
When preparing food for family or friends that are vulnerable always prepare food safely by practising good hygiene (hand washing), cook foods all the way through (poultry, minced or stuffed meats cook to 75 degrees C, no pink juices in poultry), reheat to steaming hot, avoid ready-to-eat food from salad bars, delicatessens and take away shops, check the use-by-date provided by the manufacturer.
Avoid food that is higher risk such as ready-to-eat processed sliced meat, cold cooked chicken, pate, ready-to-eat dips, pre-prepared salads, chilled seafood (including oysters, sashimi and prawns), soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, feta, blue, mascarpone and ricotta, soft serve ice cream and unpasteurised dairy products.
Safer choices – Cook your own meat and poultry and use within one (1) day; Prepared your own salads, always wash fruit and vegetables under cold running water; Seafood – Cook fresh or from frozen; Cheese – Serve hard cheese such as tasty or cheddar or cook your feta or brie; Make your own dips from scratch using a pasteurised base such as sour cream, plain cream cheese or plain cottage cheese; Use pasteurised dairy products and hard frozen ice cream.
