Vulnerable people have a greater risk of getting sick because their immune system is weakened (or still developing). These people include pregnant women, their unborn and newborn babies, the elderly and people whose immune systems have been weakened by illness or drugs (for example: cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and people on drugs like cortisone).
Keeping food safe
To reduce the chance of illness from food, it is important to always practice good food safety. Everyone should follow these food safety basics:
- keep things clean
- separate raw food from ready-to-eat food
- cook food thoroughly
- keep cold food cold, and hot food hot.
See food safety basics for more details.
Safer food choices
Some foods are a higher risk for vulnerable populations, who can be more severely affected than the general population by bacteria in food. If vulnerable people eat these foods, they are more likely to become seriously ill, have life-long health complications (e.g. arthritis, kidney disease) or even die.
If you are vulnerable, it is safest to only eat freshly prepared food. Read our fact sheet on Safe food for people at risk.
Foods that are a higher risk to the elderly, pregnant and immunocompromised are listed in the table below and in our fact sheet. You can reduce the chance of becoming ill by choosing safer alternatives and following the precautions listed.
| Higher risk foods | Safer alternatives | Precautions |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese - soft, semi soft and surface ripened cheeses Pre-packaged and delicatessen (e.g. brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta and blue) |
Hard cheeses, pasteurised cream cheese, plain cottage cheese, baked soft cheeses (cooked to an internal temperature of 75°C) |
Purchase cheeses packaged by the manufacturer. Store in the fridge. |
| Chicken - pre-cooked, cold Purchased whole, portions, slices or diced |
Freshly cooked | Ensure chicken is cooked thoroughly, use immediately. Cool and store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of cooking. Thoroughly reheat any leftovers to steaming hot. |
| Cooking dough - raw (e.g. biscuit or cake batter) |
Cooked product |
Be sure to wash hands thoroughly after handling raw eggs and before you touch any other food or equipment. |
| Dairy products - unpasteurised Raw milk and cheeses |
Pasteurised dairy products |
Store all pasteurised dairy products in the fridge. Limit time spent in the 'danger zone' of 5-60°C when serving. |
| Eggs - raw and lightly-cooked (e.g. in milkshakes, mayonnaise and aioli, lightly poached eggs, mousse, custard) |
Pasteurised eggs, cooked omelettes, hard boiled eggs, commercial custard and dressings e.g. mayonnaise, aioli |
Buy clean and uncracked eggs. Store eggs in the fridge. Cook eggs until both the yolk and egg are firm e.g. 72°C. Be sure to wash hands thoroughly after handling raw eggs and before you touch any other food or equipment. Cool and store leftovers in fridge and eat within a day. |
| Enoki mushrooms - raw or lightly cooked |
Thoroughly cooked |
See enoki mushrooms. |
| Fruit and vegetables - frozen |
Freshly prepared fruit and vegetables, or thoroughly cooked frozen product |
Wash all fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly. Store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of preparation. |
| Fruit juices - unpasteurised |
Pasteurised juices |
Store in the fridge and follow the manufacturer's instructions. |
| Hummus and tahini, including dips containing tahini | Pasteurised dips, spreads without tahini |
Store in fridge. Limit time spent in the 'danger zone' of 5-60°C when serving. |
| Ice cream - soft serve |
Packaged frozen ice cream |
Keep the ice cream frozen hard. |
| Meats - cold, ready-to-eat Unpackaged meats from deli counters and sandwich bars Packaged, sliced meats |
Freshly cooked, or thoroughly reheated to steaming hot |
Ensure meat is thoroughly cooked. Use immediately or cool and store in fridge and use within a day of cooking. |
| Meat - raw and semi cooked (e.g. burger patties) |
Thoroughly cooked meat |
Ensure meat is thoroughly cooked. Use immediately or store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of cooking. Thoroughly reheat any leftovers to steaming hot. |
| Paté or meat spreads, refrigerated |
Canned or shelf-stable patés or meat spreads |
Use immediately or store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day. |
| Rock melon |
Tree fruits (e.g. mango, orange, apple), tinned fruits |
Wash all fruit thoroughly. Store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of preparation. |
| Salads - pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit or vegetable salads Including salads from buffets and salad bars |
Freshly prepared salads |
Wash all vegetables and fruit thoroughly. Store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of preparation. |
| Seafood - chilled, ready-to-eat or raw Oysters, sushi, sashimi, ceviche Smoked seafood, chilled cooked prawns |
Freshly cooked or thoroughly reheated to steaming hot |
Use immediately or store any leftovers in fridge and use within a day of cooking. |
| Seed sprouts - raw |
Thoroughly cooked sprouts |
Use immediately, or cool and store leftovers in fridge, and use within a day of cooking. Thoroughly reheat before eating. |
More information on vulnerable populations
Pathogens in food
Foodborne pathogens are microorganisms (e.g. bacteria and viruses) that can cause illness from food. Three of the most important bacteria that cause foodborne illness in vulnerable people are Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Each pathogen is a bit different - they can come from different sources (e.g. the environment, animals or people) and be found in different foods.
Listeria is especially dangerous, as eating food contaminated with this bacteria can result in severe illness, miscarriage or death. Listeria can grow over a wide temperature range and even in the fridge. However, it can be destroyed by cooking food thoroughly.
At warm temperatures, most foodborne pathogens can grow very quickly and some can produce harmful toxins. Keeping food either cold or hot (not lukewarm) helps prevent this from happening.
Learn more about foodborne pathogens:
- Listeria
- Salmonella
- Campylobacter
- fact sheets on other bacteria, viruses and toxins that cause foodborne illness.