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Thursday, 11 November 2004

WARNING ABOUT PREPARING FOOD FOR THE ELDERLY

FOOD SAFETY WEEK 8-13 NOVEMBER 2004

Brigitte Cox, Chair of the Technical Committee of the Food Safety Information Council, today launched a fact sheet advising people cooking for elderly relatives or friends to be extra careful as poor preparation could result in serious illness.

This fact sheet has been developed by the Food Safety Information Council because of concerns about the safety of food brought into residents of aged care facilities. These concerns were identified by a number of aged care facilities following a questionnaire sent out by Compass Group (Australia).

‘It’s really nice to show you care by cooking special favourite meals for the resident of an aged care facility - perhaps culturally specific food or a family favourite which is not normally available in that facility. But if you do, you really wouldn’t want to make them sick, so there are some things you need to know,’ Mrs Cox said.

‘Our immune systems get weaker as we get older. Also our stomachs produce less acid which makes it easier for harmful germs to get through the digestive system and invade our bodies. If elderly people do get food poisoning, they are also likely to suffer more severe consequences. These can range from mild dehydration to neuromuscular dysfunction or even death. Older people also take longer than most of us to recover from food poisoning.

  ‘There are no special rules for cooking for elderly people - you just need to be even fussier than normal. If you plan to take chilled or frozen food you have cooked yourself, make sure that the food is cooled quickly in your refrigerator, never at room temperature. Always wash your hands well under running water using soap and dry thoroughly before handling food. 

‘You will need to transport your food to the aged care facility so take care that it is protected from contamination during transport and, if it is chilled food, it is kept cool or if you are taking it hot, you keep it hot during the journey. If some or all of any perishable food you have provided is not eaten immediately, tell the staff and ask them about storing the food in a refrigerator.

‘Some elderly people like to keep extra food in their rooms in drawers or bedside tables for eating later. This is all right for shelf stable foods like cakes, biscuits and chocolates, but it can be very risky with perishable food such as cold meats, custard or cream filled cakes and cooked vegetables and meat dishes. Leaving perishable food in the temperature danger zone for too long before being eaten can result in foodborne illness. Food which can cause food poisoning may not look or taste spoiled. Sometimes elderly people can also forget how long the food has been there,’ Mrs Cox concluded.

Kelvin Genn from Compass Group (Australia) said ‘This is a resource which aged care facilities can distribute to relatives and friends of residents to help them prepare, transport and store the food safely.’

Copies of the fact sheet can be obtained from the Food Safety Information Council website www.foodsafety.asn.au or by calling Tania Bradley from the Food Safety Information Council, 02 6254 4896 or 0407 626 688. There is more information about preparing food for the elderly on the Food Safety Information Council website http://www.foodsafety.asn.au/publications/factsheets/doyoucookandbringfoo2743.cfm .

People over 65 are also a higher risk group for the food poisoning bacteria Listeria and there is more information on ‘Listeria and food’ on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand   website, http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/Listeria.pdf 

Media contacts:Tania Bradley, Food Safety Information Council, 02 6254 4896 or 0407 626 688 or Lydia Buchtmann, FSANZ (02) 6271 2620 or 0401 714 265 mobile.

TV Chiefs of Staffplease note a video news release was sent out from Sky TV at 11.15am on Monday 8 November 2004 which has interviews with the Food Safety Information Council and footage of safe food handling.