Seniors and Food Safety:
What's a Senior to Eat?
FN-699, October 2006
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
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Nutritionists agree a healthful diet includes a variety of foods.
Smart food choices can help reduce the risk for chronic diseases, such as heart
disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and osteoporosis. These are the leading cause
of death and disability among Americans.
Certain foods may pose a significant health hazard because of the level of
bacteria present in the product’s raw or uncooked state for seniors. They
should consume some foods with caution.
Potentially all food can cause a foodborne illness if not handled properly,
but some foods pose more of a risk. Seniors have a weakened immune system and
therefore should avoid these foods as much as possible:
- Raw fin fish and shellfish, including oysters, clams, mussels and scallops
- Refrigerated smoked seafood unless in a cooked dish, such as a casserole
- Raw or unpasteurized milk or cheese
- Soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined and Mexican-style
cheese unless labeled “made with pasteurized milk”
- Hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt
need not be avoided
- Raw or lightly cooked egg or egg products, including salad dressings, cookie
or cake batter, sauces and beverages such as egg nog
- Hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless reheated until steaming hot
- Refrigerated meat spreads or pates
- Raw meat or poultry
- Raw alfalfa sprouts
- Unpasteurized or untreated fruit or vegetable juice
When fruits and vegetables are made into fresh-squeezed juice, harmful bacteria
that may be present can become part of the finished product. Most juice in the
United States — 98 percent — is pasteurized or otherwise treated
to kill harmful bacteria. To help consumers identify unpasteurized or untreated
juices, the Food and Drug Administration requires a warning label on these products.
The label says:
WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore may
contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the
elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.
Source: Adapted with permission from FDA/Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, May 1999; www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/seniorsd.html
Developed in cooperation with AARP
This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement
No. 2002-51110-01512.
For more information about food safety, visit the NDSU Extension Service Web
site: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food.htm
FN-699, October 2006
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