Adults 65 and Older: An At-Risk Population, but Why?

Food safety is important, but are older adults more at risk? If so, why?

Yes, adults 65 and older are known to be at a higher risk for hospitalization and death from foodborne illness. As we age, the risk of foodborne illness increases due to changes in our body systems.

Did You Know?

Food poisoning not only sends 128,000 Americans to the hospital each year, but it can also cause long-term health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of people aged 65 and older who have a lab-confirmed foodborne illness from Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria or E. coli are hospitalized.

In addition, adults who are 65 years and older are 4 times more likely than other people in the United States to get Listeria infections. CDC estimates Listeria is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the United States. An estimated 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year, and about 260 die. Older adults are at particular risk - more than half of all Listeria infections occur in people 65 and older.

Know the symptoms of foodborne illness: symptoms may range from mild to severe and differ depending on the germ you swallowed. The most common symptoms of food poisoning include upset stomach, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and dehydration. If you show any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately.

How Do You Prevent Food Poisoning?

Choose Safer Food: Learn about safer food choices for older adults.

The Four Steps to Food Safety

If you are 65 or older, or prepare food for someone who is, always follow the four steps to food safety:

• Clean: Wash and sanitize hands, utensils and surfaces often. Bacteria can spread and survive in many places.
• Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs can spread bacteria to ready-to-eat foods, so keep them separate.
• Cook: Use a food thermometer to check whether a meal has reached a safe internal temperature to kill any harmful bacteria.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable food within two hours. If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90 F (like a hot car or picnic), refrigerate it within one hour.

We recommend making safe food handling a lifelong commitment to minimize your risk of foodborne illness. Be aware that as you age, your immunity to infection is naturally weakened.

Food Safety Resources

Visit our website to find a list of our Food Safety Brochures and Publications. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has a free food safety publication for "at risk" populations available for order or download. See Food Safety: A Need-to-Know Guide for Those At Risk. To order, you may e-mail your request to [email protected] or call the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) to talk to a food safety expert.

The Meat and Poultry Hotline can also answer questions about food safety for consumers at home. Call, chat live at ask.usda.gov or email [email protected] Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

For more food safety tips, follow FSIS on Twitter @USDAFoodSafety or on Facebook at Facebook.com/FoodSafety.gov.

Last Updated: Sep 09, 2022