Food safety for people with cancer : a need-to-know guide for those who have been diagnosed with cancer

2006·2.6 MB·English

by  United States. Food Safety and Inspection Service

Historic, Archive Document
Do assume
not content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

Food Safety for
People with Cancer
A need-to-know guidefor those who
Reserve have been diagnosed with cancer
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U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture • roodSafetyandinspectionService
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Food safety is important for everyone but it's
especially important for you. That's why the
U.S. Department ofAgriculture's Food Safety
and Inspection Service has prepared this booklet.
It's designed to provide practical guidance on
how to reduce your risk offoodborne illness.
In addition to this practical guidance, we
encourage you to check with your physician or
health care provider to identify foods and other
products that you should avoid. You have a
special need for this important information
. . .
so read on!
What's Inside:
Food Safety: It's Especially Important forYou 3
Major Pathogens That Cause Foodborne Illness 4-5
Eating at Home: MakingWise Food Choices 6
Common Foods: Select the Lower Risk Options 7
Taking Care: Handling and Preparing Food Safely 8-10
Cold Storage Chart 11
In the Know: Becoming a Better Shopper 12
Food Product Dating 13
TransportingYour Groceries 13
Being SmartWhen Eating Out 14
Tips forTransporting Food 15
Foodborne Illness: Know the Symptoms 16
Foodborne IllnessAction Plan 17
For More Information on Food Safety 18
Additional Food Safety Resources 19
Checkoutthe handyBe FoodSafefrom USDA Clip-outInfo Cards
betweenpages 10 and 11 ofthis booklet!
Foodborne Illness in the United States
When certain disease-causing bacteria or pathogens contaminate food,
they can cause foodborne illness. Foodborne illness, often calledfood
poisoning, is an illness that comes from a food you eat.
• The food supply in the United States is among the safest in the world—
but it can still be a source ofinfection for all persons.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
76 million persons get sick, 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die
from foodborne infection and illness in the United States each year.
Many ofthese people are very young, very old, or have weakened im-
mune systems and may notbe able to fight infection normally.
— —
Since foodborne illness can be serious or even fatal it is important
foryou to know and practice safe food-handling behaviors to help reduce
your risk ofgetting sick from contaminated food.
Food Safety:
It's Especially Importantfor You
As a cancer patient, your healthcare provider may have recommended
that you take chemotherapy, radiation, and/or other medications to help
fight your disease. A side-effect ofthese therapies is that they may
weaken your immune system. Cancer also may weaken your immune
system over time due to its chronic disease process.
• Aproperly functioning immune system works to clear infection and
other foreign agents from the body. However, cancer and its treatments
—
can weaken your immune system making you more susceptible to
many types ofinfections. These infections include those that can be
brought on by disease-causing bacteria and other pathogens
that cause foodborne illness.
• Because you have cancer and are receiving
cancer treatment, you are more likely to have a
lengthier illness, undergo hospitalization, or even
die should you contract a foodborne illness.
• To avoid contracting a foodborne illness, you
must be especially vigilant when handling,
preparing, and consuming foods.
I
I
i
Make safefood handling a lifelong commitment
to minimize your risk offoodborne illness.
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Major Pathogens That Cause Foodborne Illness
Campylobacterjejuni
AssociatedFoods SymptomsandPotentialImpact
Contaminatedwater Fever, headache, andmuscle pain followed
• Unpasteurizedmilk by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal
Raw orundercookedmeat, pain, andnauseathat appear2 to 5 days after
eating; may last 7 to 10 days. May spread
poultry, or shellfish
to bloodstream and cause alife-threatening
infection.
Cryptosporidium
AssociatedFoods/Sources SymptomsandPotentialImpact
Swallowing contaminated water, Dehydration, weightloss, stomach cramps or
including thatfromrecreational pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting; respiratory
sources, (e.g., a swimming pool symptoms may alsobepresent.
orlake) • Symptoms begin 2 to 10 days afterbecoming
• Eating uncooked or infected, and may last 1 to 2 weeks. Those
contaminatedfood with aweakened immune system, including
Placing acontaminated object in people with cancer, may experience amore
the mouth serious illness.
Soil, food, water, contaminated
surfaces
Escherichia colioisi-.w
One ofseveral strains ofE. colithat can cause human illness
AssociatedFoods/Sources SymptomsandPotentialImpact
Undercookedbeef, Severe diarrhea that is often bloody,
especially hamburger abdominal cramps, and vomiting.
Unpasteurizedmilkandjuices, Usually little orno fever.
like "fresh" apple cider Can begin 1 to 8 days afterfoodis eaten
Contaminatedraw fruits and and last about 5 to 10 days.
vegetables, and water • Some, especially the very young, may
Person-to-person develop hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS),
which causes acute kidney failure.
Listeria monocytogenes
Cangrow slowly atrefrigeratortemperatures
AssociatedFoods SymptomsandPotentialImpact
Contaminatedhotdogs, luncheon • Fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes
meats, coldcuts, fermentedor upset stomach, abdominalpain, anddiarrhea.
dry sausage, andotherdeli-style Maytakeupto 3 weeks tobecomeill.
meatandpoultry * Those at-risk (includingpeople withcancer
Softcheeses andunpasteurized and others with weakenedimmune systems)
milk may laterdevelop more serious illness; death
Smoked seafoodand salads made canresultfromthis bacteria.
inthe store such as ham salad, Can causeproblems withpregnancy,
chicken salad, orseafoodsalad including miscarriage, fetal death, or severe
illness ordeathin newborns.
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Noroviruses (and other calciviruses)
AssociatedFoods SymptomsandPotentialImpact
• Shellfish andfeeally • Nausea, vomiting, stomachpain, fever,
contaminatedfoods orwater muscle aches, and some headache usually
• Ready-to-eatfoods touched appearwithin 1 to 2 days andmaylast 1 to
by infectedfoodworkers; e.g., 2 days.
salads, sandwiches, ice. cookies, Diarrheaismoreprevalentin adults and
fruit vomitingis more prevalentin children.
Salmonella
(over2.300 types)
AssociatedFoods SymptomsandPotentialImpact
Raw orundercooked eggs, • Stomachpain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever,
poultry, andmeat and/orheadache usually appear 8 to 72 hours
Unpasteurized milk orjuice aftereating: may last4to 7 days.
Cheese and seafood • Inpeople with aweakenedimmune system,
Contaminatedfresh fruits and such as people with cancer, the infection
vegetables may be more severe andleadto serious
complications, including death.
Toxoplasma gondii
AssociatedFoods/Sources SymptomsandPotentialImpact
• Accidental ingestionofcat • Flu-like illness that usually appears
feces through touchinghands to 5 to 23 days aftereating, maylastmonths.
mouth aftergardening, handling Those with aweakenedimmune system,
cats, cleaning cat's litterbox. or including people with cancer, may develop
touching anything thathas come more serious illness.
in contact with catfeces • Can cause problems withpregnancy,
Raw orundercookedmeat including miscarriage.
Vibrio vulnificus
AssociatedFoods SymptomsandPotentialImpact
• Undercooked orraw seafood • Diarrhea, stomachpain, andvomitingmay
(fish or shellfish) daapypse.arMwaityhirnesu1lttoin7adabylsooadndinlfaesctti2ont.o 8May
result in deathforthose with aweakened
immune system, includingpeople with
cancer.
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.
Eating at Home:
Making Wise Food Choices
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
• Animalproducts such as
,
unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses,
raw eggs, raw meat, raw poultry,
raw fish, raw seafood and their
juices
Interestingly, the risk these foods
may actually pose depends on
its origin orsource and how it is
processed, stored, andprepared.
Follow these guidelines (see chart at right)
for safe selection and preparation ofyour
favorite foods.
IfYou Have Questions
. .
about Wise Food Choices:
. . .
Be sure to consult with your doctor or health care provider. He or she can
answer any specific questions or help you in your choices.
about Particular Foods:
. . .
Ifyou aren't sure about the safety ofa food in your refrigerator, don't take
the risk. When in doubt, throw it out!
Wise choices in yourfood FIGHT BAC!
selections are important.
All consumers need to follow the Four Basic CLEAN d
Steps to Food Safety: Waofnatdsenhs.uhrafancdess *a>j^«*.» DSoEn'PtAcRroAssT-Econtaminate.
Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
X COOK
CHILL Cooktoproper
Refrigeratepromptly. temperatures.
Keep Food Safe From Bacteria"
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