Food safety
Chemotherapy can interfere with the body's natural defence
against infections and may:
- Reduce numbers of white blood cells (neutrophils) which
normally protect us against food poisoning bacteria.
- Damage the gut lining which provides a barrier between bacteria
and our blood stream.
If you get a food-related infection during cancer treatment, it
may be more serious and take you longer to recover. This may delay
or interfere with your treatment, so it's best to be careful and
try to avoid infections.
Important points to remember:
Wash your hands thoroughly. Wash your
hands in hot soapy water before and after handling food, and dry
them using a clean towel or paper towel.
Keep the kitchen clean. Wash all surfaces,
cutting boards and utensils with hot soapy water. Make sure tea
towels, cleaning cloths, sponges and brushes are changed
regularly.
Prepare and store raw and cooked food
separately. Keep a separate chopping board for raw
meats and fish. Always clean the board thoroughly after each use.
Cover and store uncooked meat and fish at the bottom of the
fridge.
Keep canned food clean. Wash the can and
the can opener before using.
Check all 'use by' and 'best before' dates
carefully. Avoid buying foods on their use by date,
and do not eat them after this date.
Avoid damaged or mouldy foods and those in damaged
containers.
When shopping, take chilled and frozen food home quickly
to refrigerate or freeze.
Take extra care when buying take-aways and eating
out. Try to buy food which is freshly cooked and from
a clean space. Look for the food hygiene rating sticker in the
window.
Store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally in the
fridge. Make sure the egg shells are clean before
cracking. Cook eggs well and do not eat food containing uncooked
eggs.
Check fridge and freezer temperatures
regularly. Fridge temperatures should be 5°C or
lower, and freezer temperatures below -18ºC.
Wash and scrub fruit and vegetables very well before
preparation.
Cook food well, especially meat, poultry and fish
products. Always follow the manufacturers' cooking
instructions carefully. Check food is very hot throughout the dish,
especially if using a microwave. A food thermometer can be
useful.
Keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Eat
hot food within two hours of cooking, and all cold foods within
four hours of preparation, unless refrigerated.
Do not eat leftover food from another
meal. Eat rice as soon as it is cooked and never
reheat.
If freezing home cooked foods cool the food at room
temperature within an hour of cooking and then freeze
it. Avoid putting hot food in the fridge or
freezer.
Reheat frozen food safely. Defrost frozen
portions in the fridge overnight (consume within 24 hours of
defrosting) or defrost in the microwave. Reheat thoroughly in the
oven until piping hot throughout. Never refreeze products once
thawed.
Keep pets away from the kitchen and your
food.
You will need to make further changes to your diet if you are
having a bone marrow transplant, high dose chemotherapy and/or an
autograph stem cell transplant. A healthcare professional will let
you know if this is the case.
Eating safely guidelines for adults at risk of
neutropenia & Eating safely guidelines for adults undergoing an
allogeneic stem cell transplant
