Q: I have diabetes. Am I more at risk for contracting a foodborne illness?

A: The demographics of our population show there is an increase in the percentage of people at high risk of contracting a foodborne illness, sometimes with serious consequences. They include:

¢ Infants and preschool-age children who have not built up adequate immune systems

¢ Pregnant women

¢ Elderly people whose immune systems have weakened with age

¢ People taking certain medications, such as antibiotics and immunosuppressants

¢ People who are ill (those who have recently had surgery, organ-transplant recipients, or who have pre-existing or chronic diseases, including diabetes)

Diabetes can affect various organs and systems of your body, causing them not to function properly, and making you more susceptible to infection. For example:

Your immune system, when functioning properly, readily fights off harmful bacteria and other pathogens that cause infection. With diabetes, your immune system may not readily recognize harmful bacteria or other pathogens. This delay in the body’s natural response to foreign invasion places a person with diabetes at increased risk for infection.

Your gastrointestinal tract, when functioning properly, allows the foods and beverages you consume to be digested normally. Diabetes may damage the cells that create stomach acid and the nerves that help your stomach and intestinal tract move the food throughout the intestinal tract. Because of this damage, your stomach may hold on to the food and beverages you consume for a longer period of time, allowing harmful bacteria and other pathogens to grow.

Additionally, your kidneys, which work to cleanse the body, may not be functioning properly and may hold on to harmful bacteria, toxins and other pathogens.

Should you contract a foodborne illness, you are more likely to have a lengthier illness, undergo hospitalization or even die. To avoid contracting a foodborne illness, you must be vigilant when handling, preparing and consuming foods.

Q: Are there foods that “high risk” people should avoid?

A: Some foods are more risky for you than others. In general, the foods that are most likely to contain pathogens fall into two categories: uncooked fresh fruits and vegetables and animal products, such as unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses, raw eggs, raw meat, raw poultry, raw fish, raw seafood and their juices.

The risk these foods may actually pose depends on its origin or source and how it is processed, stored and prepared. Wise choices in your food selections are important.

Avoid:

¢ Raw or undercooked meat or poultry

¢ Any raw or undercooked fish or seafood, e.g., sushi, sashimi or ceviche

¢ Refrigerated smoked fish

¢ Pre-cooked seafood, such as shrimp and crab

¢ Foods that contain raw/undercooked eggs, such as Caesar salad dressings, homemade raw cookie dough, homemade ice cream, or homemade eggnog

¢ Soft-boiled or “over-easy” eggs, as the yolks are not fully cooked

¢ Raw sprouts (alfalfa, bean or any other sprout)

¢ Unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce/salads

¢ Unpasteurized milk

¢ Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, such as feta, brie, camembert, blue-veined cheese or queso fresco

¢ Hot dogs, deli meats, and luncheon meats that have not been reheated.

Choose:

¢ Meat or poultry cooked to the following safe minimum internal temperature. You can’t tell by looking. Use a food thermometer to be sure.

¢ Steaks and roasts: 145 degrees

¢ Fish and seafood: 145 degrees

¢ Pork: 160 degrees

¢ Ground beef: 160 degrees

¢ Egg dishes: 160 degrees

¢ Chicken breasts and whole poultry: 165 degrees

¢ Smoked fish and precooked seafood: 165 degrees

¢ Hot dogs, luncheon meats and deli meats – reheat to steaming hot or 165 degrees

¢ Canned fish, seafood, pates or meat spreads

¢ Cooked sprouts

¢ Washed fresh vegetables, including salads

¢ Pasteurized milk

¢ Hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, mozzarella and soft cheeses that are clearly labeled “made from pasteurized milk”

Q: What should I pay close attention to when food shopping?

A: To become a better shopper, carefully read the food labels while you’re in the store to make sure food is not past its “sell by” date. Put raw packaged meat, poultry or seafood into a plastic bag before placing it in the shopping cart, so that its juices will not drip on – and contaminate – other foods. When buying fruit juice from the refrigerated section of the store, be sure the juice label says it is pasteurized (i.e., apple cider). Never buy food that is displayed in unsafe or unclean conditions. When purchasing canned goods, make sure that they are free of dents, cracks, rust or bulging lids.

For safe transporting of your groceries, pick up perishable foods last and plan to go directly home from the grocery store. Always refrigerate perishable foods within two hours of purchasing or cooking (refrigerate within one hour if the temperature outside is above 90 degrees).

In hot weather, take a cooler with ice or another cold source to transport foods safely.