Seniors are at a high risk of getting food poisoning because as we age, our immune system can fail to protect the body against infectious organisms. In many cases, food poisoning comes from eating food contaminated with bacteria such as salmonella or E. Coli or viruses such as the norovirus. It is important to store food safely to reduce your chances of getting food poisoning.
Seniors with sight or mobility problems should obtain help to ensure that food is stored outside the ‘danger zone,’ which is at or below 40 degrees F for the refrigerator and 0 degrees F for the freezer. Most refrigerators come with inbuilt thermometers, which allow you to set the temperatures you wish.
Frozen food should be thawed by placing it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. If you have mobility issues, opt for kitchen furniture that has easily accessible buttons.
As we age, it can be more difficult to remember when items were bought or opened. It is therefore important to label opened jars to know how long they are safe to consume. Most canned foods can be used between two to seven days after opening, but each will have its own instructions on the label that should be followed. Remove foods from cans to prevent metal leakage into food.
