Special care foods

Some foods can have a higher risk of causing food poisoning and need to be handled with special care by everyone.

The risks can be more serious for people with lower immunity including pregnant women, children younger than 5 years and people over 65 years with certain underlying conditions.

The foods include:

• Eggs
• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Fresh noodles
• Poultry and raw meat
• Raw meat: safe eating
• Recreational harvest of seafood
• Rockmelons
• Roquefort cheese  
• Sprouts
• Sydney Harbour seafood

Other foods carry specific risks for certain people:

• children younger than 5 years whose immune systems are still developing
• people with low immunity
• pregnant women

You can reduce the risk of getting sick from food by choosing and preparing food safely. 

Find out what the common foods risks are, and how to avoid them in Food risk and you – what to eat with a weakened immune system (PDF, 224 KB)

If you are not on this list but are in doubt, please contact your doctor.