
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning us about picnic food, and what it says applies especially to seniors. It seems there's another potential food-borne illness: Listeria.
Picnic foods -- hot dogs, deli meats, prepared salads, meat spreads from the deli case and soft cheeses -- can contain bacteria called Listeria. Smoked seafood and unpasteurized milk also can harbor Listeria. Even if the bacteria has been killed by cooking, it can be recontaminated because the bacteria can grow at refrigerator temperature.
In addition to food poisoning, those with health risks can come down with a very serious infection after consuming Listeria-contaminated foods. Even for seniors without medical conditions, healing from an infection can include long hospitalizations -- or even death.
Here are some food safety tips from the www.IsItDoneYet.gov website:
If you don't have Internet access, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-674-6854 to order the Food Safety for Older Adults pamphlet or if you have specific questions.