Food safety when your immunity is low

Cancer or cancer treatments may increase your risk of infection. Some treatments can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your body. These cells help fight infection. Having a lower number of white blood cells than normal is called neutropenia.

Most people having cancer treatment will not need to change their diet. If you are having high-dose chemotherapy, you may be advised to avoid foods that might contain harmful bacteria. You may also need to be extra careful with food hygiene. This is called a ‘clean diet’. It can help reduce your risk of getting an infection. Your specialist nurse will talk with you about this.

If your immune system is weak, you are more at risk of getting food poisoning. This is because you are less able to fight infection. You may also be less able to cope with the symptoms of food poisoning.

To reduce this risk, you should:

• use fresh ingredients
• check the use-by dates on food
• store food and drink at the correct temperature – look at the packaging for instructions
• rinse all fruit and vegetables in cold running water before eating or cooking
• cook food thoroughly
• throw away mouldy food.

In the kitchen, you should:

• wash your hands before you touch food
• clean cooking utensils and chopping boards thoroughly
• wipe worktops with hot, soapy water or an anti-bacterial spray – this is very important if you have prepared raw meat or eggs
• wash or replace dishcloths and tea towels regularly
• keep pets out of the kitchen.

It is best to avoid eating out and takeaway food if your immunity is low. If you eat out, try to choose somewhere where you know the food will be freshly prepared and properly cooked. Avoid eating food from salad bars, buffets and street vendors because it is difficult to know how fresh the food is. Also avoid having ice-cream from an ice-cream van.