Food Safety for the Immunocompromised

Food Safety for the Immunocompromised Person

If you are immunocompromised, it is important to follow food safety guidelines. Bacteria and other harmful germs are more likely to be in raw or fresh foods. Thoroughly cooking foods destroys these germs.

Fresh vegetables should be cooked until tender; meats should be cooked until well-done; and eggs should be cooked until the yolks are firm. Dairy products, juices, and ciders should have the word “pasteurized” on the label. The following information can help you choose the right foods and prepare them correctly in order to keep you healthy.

What do I need to know about food safety?

• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after preparing food. Always wash your hands after touching raw meat.
• Wash any surfaces that you will be using to prepare food. Use hot, soapy water.
• Keep foods separate when you are preparing and cooking a meal. Do notuse the same knife or cutting board to cut your fresh produce and raw meat.
• Cook food to the right temperature:
  • Beef, pork, veal, lamb, and steak should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest time.
  • Fish should be cooked to 145°F.
  • Ground beef, pork, veal, and lamb should be cooked to 160°F (71°C).
  • Egg dishes should be cooked to 160°F.
  • Poultry (whole, pieces, and ground) should be cooked to 165°F (74°C).
• Put any leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible to stop bacteria from growing and to keep your food from going bad.
• Hot foods should be kept at 140°F (60°C) or more, and cold foods should be kept at 40°F (4.4°C) or less.

Preparation guidelines

Cooking and Eating Utensil Preparation

• Wash the following with soap and hot water before and after use:
  • Countertops.
  • Cutting boards.
  • Cooking utensils.
  • Silverware.
  • Flatware.
  • Pots and pans.
  • Dishes.
  • Glassware.
• Air dry all cooking and eating utensils. Do notdry them with a cloth towel.

Food Preparation

• Do notbuy food that has passed the expiration or “use by” date.
• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water and dry them with paper towels. This is especially important after you have touched raw meat, eggs, or fish.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under cold running water before peeling or cutting them. Individually scrub produce that has a thick, rough skin or rind, such as cabbage. Do notuse commercial rinses to wash fruits and vegetables.
• Rinse packaged salads, slaw mix, and other prepared produce under cold running water. Do this even if the food is labeled “prewashed.”
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator overnight or quickly in the microwave. Do notthaw food on countertops.
• Do nottouch or use raw yeast. There is a risk that you could breathe it in. Raw yeast is used to make bread.
• Cook all perishable foods thoroughly.
• Do notleave easily spoiled items at room temperature for more than 10–15 minutes.
• Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible in small, airtight, shallow containers.
• Eat leftovers only if they have been stored properly. Do noteat leftovers that have been around for longer than 24 hours.
• Boil marinades before using them on raw foods.
• Clean the outside of your canned goods before opening them.
• Do notput cooked food on a surface that you had placed raw meat, fish, or eggs on. Those surfaces must be washed with warm, soapy water before you use them again.
• Always place raw meat, seafood, and eggs in plastic bags before putting them in your shopping cart at the grocery story. Also, bag those items separately and not with other food you have purchased. Once home, place them in your refrigerator right away.

What foods can I not eat?

Grains

• Fresh bakery breads, muffins, cakes, donuts, and cream- or custard-filled cakes.
• Raw or uncooked grain products.
• Beer that has “unpasteurized” on the label, is made with uncooked brewer’s yeast, is homemade or home brewed, or is from a microbrewery.

Vegetables

• Unwashedraw vegetables and salads.
• Unpasteurized vegetable juice.
• Raw vegetable sprouts, such as alfalfa, radish, broccoli, and mung bean.
• Salads from the deli or salad bar.

Fruits

• Unwashed raw fruit.
• Unpasteurized fruit juices.
• Fresh apple cider.

Meat and Other Protein Sources

• All raw, uncooked, undercooked, or rare meat, fish, eggs, poultry, or tofu. This includes:
  • Sushi.
  • Partially cooked seafood, such as shrimp and crab.
  • Raw shellfish, such as oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops and their juices.
  • Refrigerated smoked seafood, including smoked salmon and lox.
• Unpasteurized, refrigerated pates or meat spreads.
• Unheated cold cuts from the deli, including hot dogs, dry or fermented sausage, or other deli meat. These are okay if you heat them until they are steaming or reach 165°F.
• Hard cured salami in natural wrap.
• Any meat, poultry, or seafood salad made at the grocery store or at deli-style restaurants.
• Pickled fish.
• Any fermented foods such as tempeh or miso products.
• Unprocessed nuts, unroasted raw nuts, and roasted nuts in the shell.
• Food products made with raw or undercooked eggs, such as Caesar salad dressing, mayonnaise, homemade cookie dough, cake batters, and eggnog. While most products at the grocery store are made with pasteurized eggs, you still need to read the label to make sure. Do noteat anything that has the word “unpasteurized” on the label.

Dairy

• Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk or molds (such as feta, Brie, Camembert, and Gorgonzola), blue-veined cheese (such as Stilton and Roquefort), Mexican-style cheeses (such as Asadero), and farmer’s cheese.
• Unpasteurized or raw milk cheese, yogurt, and other milk products.
• Cheeses containing chili peppers or other uncooked vegetables.
• Any imported cheeses.
• Any cheese sliced at a deli.

Beverages

• Unboiled well water.
• Cold-brewed tea or “sun teas” made with warm or cold water.
• Mate tea or yerba mate tea.
• Raw, unpasteurized milk.
• Eggnog or milkshakes made with raw eggs.
• Unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices.
• Fresh apple cider.
• Wine or beer that is unpasteurized, homemade or home brewed, or from a microbrewery.

Condiments

• Uncooked herbs or spices.
• Raw or unpasteurized honey.
• Prepackaged salsas stored in a refrigerated case.

Sweets/Desserts

• Unrefrigerated custard or cream-filled pastry products.
• Soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt.
• Hand-packed ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Fats

• Fresh salad dressings containing raw eggs or aged cheese (such as blue cheese and Roquefort) stored in a refrigerated case.