Food and Cancer: taking care with infections

Cancer and treatment weaken the body's immune system by affecting the blood cells that protect against disease. As a result, your body cannot fight infection as well as a healthy person's body can.

It is important to take care when handling and preparing food to prevent infections that may come from food.

Tips

• Wash your hands thoroughly before you prepare food and eat.
• Keep all food preparation areas clean by wiping them hot soapy water.
• Wash fruit and vegetables as thoroughly as possible.
• Eat or throw out packaged food by the use-by date.
• When eating takeaway and restaurant food, avoid food that has been left standing for long periods and food that may have been contaminated with bacteria, e.g. salad bars, sushi, raw or uncooked meat, fish, shellfish, poultry and eggs.
• When shopping, take an insulated container for cold and frozen food.
• Don't re-freeze food.
• Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat food.
• Use separate utensils and chopping boards for raw meat and vegetables.
• Ensure raw meat is not able to drip onto other foods in the fridge.
• Keep hot food hot, and make sure meat, chicken and seafood are cooked and heated right through.
• Refrigerate leftover food immediately - don't let it cool on benchtops.
• Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator.
• Avoid eating raw egg (for example, in milk drinks).