Pregnant women not receiving food safety info
Researchers report in the latest Australian and New Zealand Journal of Health that in a survey of 586 women attending antenatal clinics in one private and two major public hospitals in New South Wales between April and November 2006, more than half received no information on preventing Listeria.It's long been government advice that pregnant women should avoid soft cheeses, smallgoods, raw seafood and pre-prepared vegetable salads such as coleslaw because of their potential to contain the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria can produce a toxin that crosses the placenta and can cause miscarriages.
Lead researcher Dolly Bondarianzadeh, from the University of Wollongong's School of Health Sciences, said,
"In my experience, food was not high on the list of health risk topics for doctors, nurses and midwives to discuss with clients. Our results show that when it comes to food, women who have enough information and knowledge from a trusted source change their eating behaviour."
"Health professionals who deal with pregnant women should all be raising the importance of educating women about food safety in pregnancy."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations for persons at high risk, such as pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems, includes:
-Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
-Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
-Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, unless they have labels that clearly state they are made from pastuerized milk.
-Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pâtés and meat spreads may be eaten.
-Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
The USDA risk assessment for listeria is ready-to-eat foods is available here
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/97-013F/ListeriaReport.pdf
and one from the World Health Organization is here.
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/mra_listeria/en/index.html
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BarfBlog -
October 20, 2007 12:51 PM
Aftenposten reported Friday that two patients at the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway, died as a result of an infection linked to listeria and another 12 have been sickened since Oct. 1. Hospital officials said the source of the bacteria...
BarfBlog -
October 20, 2007 2:09 PM
Aftenposten reported Friday that two patients at the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway, died as a result of an infection linked to listeria and another 12 have been sickened since Oct. 1. Hospital officials were cited as saying the source...
BarfBlog -
December 6, 2007 10:55 AM
The Rikshospitalet University Hospital must take responsibility for the death of a pair of unborn twins after their mother ate a soft cheese at Rikshospitalet University Hospital. Food Safety Authority section leader Christoffer Nilsen told the newspap...
BarfBlog -
August 21, 2008 12:05 AM
Amy is 6 months pregnant: An outbreak of listeria in Canada which has killed one and sickened dozens, is exactly why she hasn’t eaten any cold cuts or smoked salmon for the past six months. It has been thoroughly documented...
BarfBlog -
August 22, 2008 12:39 PM
My wife is six months pregnant and she hasn’t had deli meats or smoked salmon or other refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods for six months. That’s because the bacterium listeria is fairly much everywhere, difficult to control, and grows in the ...
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Great information, I am currently pregnant and have been looking for this type of diet information.
A study by FSIS also found that pregnant women were not receiving much info on Listeria. Researchers concluded, "Because pregnant women are an at-risk group, educational efforts that target pregnant women and their specific needs and concerns are warranted."
The study also identified "the need to educate the general population about listeriosis because individuals not at risk may prepare food for at-risk individuals," and recognized that, "Although awareness of L. monocytogenes among the general population has increased, awareness is still much lower than that of Salmonella and E.coli (referring to an earlier FSIS study on consumer behaviors)."
I think a great diet for pregnant women is the very crucial for a healthy baby...
Not only is nutrition important for the pregnant women but rest as well. While the pregnant mom is resting, the baby is growing and building tissue and bone, in general developing new cells.