Elderly gamble on use-by dates: Older people putting themselves at risk by refusing to throw out food
- Older people are more likely to ignore use-by dates on food because they don’t want to waste it
- This puts them at risk of the deadly Listeria bug which can grow in fridges
- Almost all of those who catch the bug are admitted to hospital and up to 40 per cent die
Thrifty elderly Britons are putting their lives at risk by refusing to throw out food, experts have warned.
Older people are more likely to ignore use-by dates on food because they don’t want to waste it.
But this puts them at risk of the deadly Listeria bug which can grow in fridges and kills more people than E coli or Salmonella, scientists say.
Older people are more likely to ignore use-by dates on food because they don¿t want to waste it
The warning follows a surge in cases of Listeria food poisoning among elderly Britons.
With the number of cases in the over-60s trebling in a decade, the age group now accounts for two-thirds of the 200 or so cases in the UK a year.
Although relatively rare, Listeria, which thrives in chilled pre-packed foods such as cold meats, sandwiches, pate and soft cheeses, can be fatal.
Almost all of those who catch the bug are admitted to hospital and up to 40 per cent die.
A Society for Applied Microbiology conference heard yesterday (WEDS) that the elderly’s fear of wasting food and love of bulk buying bargains may help explain why they account for so many of the cases.
Plus, research has shown that pensioners are the biggest buyers of the vacuum packed ready-to-eat foods that Listeria loves to lurk in.
Almost all of those who catch the bug are admitted to hospital and up to 40 per cent die
Ellen Evans, a chef turned food safety researcher, said that many ignore use by dates, which are calculated based on how quickly bacteria multiply to dangerous levels.
She said: ‘A lot of people have lived through rationing and they don’t want to waste food.
‘They can’t see how a food won’t make them ill today but isn’t safe tomorrow.
‘They think, “What’s the worst that can happen? I’ll take a chance.”’
Miss Evans, a PhD student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, interviewed 100 over 60s, watched them prepare food and checked the contents of their fridges.
Some 72 per cent said that they knew the importance of use by dates but 66 per cent said they didn’t like them and 57 per cent didn’t follow them.
A check of their fridges found that almost half of sell by dates had expired – meaning the foods could contain dangerous levels of bacteria.
Miss Evans said: ‘Some things were just a few days old but some were a week or ten days past the use by date.
‘They may have smelt and tasted OK but that is not a reliable way of seeing of something is safe to eat.’
The kitchen inspection also found that most of that the temperature in most fridges was above the recommended 5c.
Slightly warmer temperatures favour the growth of Listeria, which also breeds quickly after packets of contaminated foods are opened.
The weakening of the immune system that occurs with age could also help explain why the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the bug.
Professor Hugh Pennington, one of Britain’s leading microbiologists, advises buying a fridge thermometer – and treating food labels with as much respect as those on medicines.
He said: ‘The most important thing is to read the label.
‘It is something worth paying attention to. Listeria really is quite a nasty infection, at any age.’
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