Older people take less notice of food labelling, putting themselves at a higher risk of getting listeria, a survey has found, writes ANNE FLAHERTY.
PEOPLE IN the over-60s age group who are failing to heed the ‘Use by’ dates labelled on perishable food are putting themselves at risk of serious food poisoning from listeria, according to a survey by food safety organisations in Ireland and the UK.
Research into food safety attitudes of the older generation shows they are often reluctant to throw away food and are also confused by food labelling, particularly of the difference between ‘Use by’ and ‘Best before’ dates.
Eating food past its ‘Use by’ date increases the risk of food poisoning from listeria, which can be found in a wide range of chilled ready-to-eat foods, including cooked sliced meats, soft cheeses, coleslaw and pates.
The number of cases of listeria, which can be fatal, have increased across Europe in the past eight years, predominantly among people over 60.
The survey, carried out by the food agency Safefood (the north-south body responsible for promoting food safety on the island of Ireland) and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI) found that 59 per cent of the 780 people questioned in the over-60s age group reported eating perishable foods two days or more past their ‘Use by’ date.
More than half (53 per cent) did not know that their fridges should be kept at 5 degrees Celcius or less, to help minimise the risk of food poisoning in the home.
Dr David Mc Cleery, chief specialist microbiologist of Safefood, which conducted the survey in the North as part of Food Safety Week in the UK, says the increasing figures for listeria food poisoning in the UK and across Europe should be a “warning sign” to people in Ireland.
“It’s important for people to understand that as they get older their immune system is not what it used to be and they are more susceptible to something like listeria,” he says.
Similar results were found in the UK where 3,000 people were questioned. Fewer than half (42 per cent) of older people correctly identified labelling as an important indicator as to whether food is safe to eat.
Almost half surveyed said they would consume dairy products up to three days past the ‘Use by’ date, and less than half (39 per cent) ever checked their fridge temperature. Younger people were more likely to comply with food labelling advice, the survey found.
The ‘Use by’ label is a safety guide and mandatory on products that have a short shelf life such as milk, cheese, deli products (eg pate and ham) and ready meals. The label ‘Best by’ is advice on quality and usually appears on fruit and vegetables, as well as tinned goods with a longer shelf-life. Eggs should not be consumed after the ‘Best before’ date however. Labelling is mandatory under EU law.
Dr Suzanne Cotter, specialist in Public Health Medicine with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in Dublin, told The Irish Times that 69 cases of listeria food poisoning had been reported in the Republic since 2004 and almost half of those (48 per cent) were in the 65-plus age group, rising to two-thirds of the 12 cases in 2005.
Four deaths were reported, two of which were in the older age category.
A Food Safety Authority of Ireland Report in 2005 on the risks associated with listeria monocytogenes indicated a mortality rate of some 30 per cent and discovered that only small amounts – smaller than the case with the salmonella bacteria – needed to be consumed to cause serious infection.
While the numbers of those affected by listeriosis are small, the infection is more of a danger to the individual, particularly those in high-risk groups.
Dr McCleary of Safefood says there is a common misconception that food has only gone off when it looks or smells bad.
“What you smell when food goes off is spoilage but that’s not the same as bacteria. Where ‘Use by’ dates are concerned, there are sophisticated techniques used at industry level to determine the maximum shelf life of food products – it’s not a date plucked out of thin air.
“It is different from the ‘Best before’ date which is an indication of the quality and is an advisory one for the consumer,” he adds.
The Food Standards Authority of Ireland echoed the call for vigilance among the over-60s and other vulnerable groups such as pregnant women. Listeriosis in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth: the symptoms are fever, tiredness and headache among others.
According to Dr Wayne Anderson, chief specialist in Food Science at the Food Safety Authority, there were five cases of listeria food poisoning reported up to the end of May this year.
The bacteria has a probation period of up to 70 days but symptoms can appear anytime from one to 10 weeks.
This means it can be present in the body for a considerable period before infection becomes apparent, making it difficult to trace the source back to a particular food.
“One of the problems is that listeria, while it grows on food, does not change its appearance, so visual clues are not accurate in this case.
“Where fridges are concerned, the bacteria can grow at lower temperatures than many others, so keeping the food in the fridge is not an advantage in killing it off.
“But the bacteria is destroyed by cooking, but many of the foods in the at-risk category are processed or ready-to-eat, such as deli counter products, soft cheeses and pates.
“Where older people are concerned, we have to remember that the food chain is different to how it was 20 or more years ago. We now use more refrigeration and more processed foods,” he said.
“Ireland had 11 cases of listeria food poisoning in 2004, 12 cases in 2005 and seven in 2006. There was an increase to 21 cases in 2007, a figure that was driven by cases in pregnant women, many from the immigrant population. New advice in multiple languages was issued by the HPSE after this outbreak and the figures decreased,” Anderson adds.
Listeria has been found on foods including sandwiches, butter, cooked meats, smoked salmon, some soft cheeses and pate. Apart from the over-60 age group, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems at higher risk from listeria food poisoning should also avoid Camembert, brie and soft blue cheese and all pates including vegetable pate and take special care with all ready-bought foods which are not to be home cooked.
Food safety tips to avoid listeria
- Eat freshly cooked and well-washed fruit and vegetables.
- Pregnant women and highly vulnerable groups should avoid cheeses ripened by mould (such as camembert, stilton and blue cheese), meat or vegetable pates (tinned pate is okay).
- Be careful with salads and coleslaws.
- Keep cooked and raw food separate.
- When eating out choose a hot freshly cooked meal.
- Make sure you fully cook ready-meals.
- With cooked food, cool as quickly as possible, cover it and put into the fridge. Eat leftovers within three days – never reheat more than once. Soups, sauces and gravies should start to boil and stir to reheat evenly.
- Follow label advice on ‘Use by’ and ‘Best before’ dates.
- If you open a product before the ‘Use by’ date, eg sliced ham, observe the label advice on finishing the food within a certain time frame, eg two days.
- Keep the fridge temperature at no more than 5 degrees Celcius. Use a special fridge thermometer, not a mercury one whch could break.
- Unpack frozen and chilled foods promptly after shopping to avoid them warming up, allowing bacteria to grow in warm weather.
- Avoid buying food with damaged or torn packaging, bulging or dented cans and dirty or cracked eggs.
For more information on food safety call safefood on 0800 085 1683 or visit www.safefood.eu
