Food safety and hygiene
Dietary advice after your kidney transplant
This information answers questions about your diet after having a kidney transplant.
Immunosuppressive medicines increase your risk of getting an infection. If you get an infection, this will put you at risk of:
- becoming unwell
- having symptoms like diarrhoea and being sick (vomiting)
In turn, this would lower the amount of immunosuppressive medicine that your body could take in (absorb).
For these reasons, it is important that you:
- avoid foods that might contain harmful bacteria
- follow the food safety advice set out here
This is particularly important during the first 6 months after your kidney transplant. At this time, you take high amounts (doses) of your immunosuppressive medicines and these doses are being adjusted. You need to avoid eating high-risk foods.
After 6 months, it is still important to follow basic food safety advice. This includes the 4 Cs of food hygiene:
- Cleaning: Wash your hands properly and keep them clean.
- Cooking: Make sure that food is cooked thoroughly and eaten within its use-by date.
- Chilling: Chill food properly.
-
Cross-contamination: Avoid cross-contamination (when bacteria is transferred between different foods, from food to surfaces, and from surfaces to food).
The Food Standards Agency has more information on the 4 Cs of food hygiene.
High-risk foods to avoid and safer options
This section sets out lists of high-risk foods to avoid from different food groups and safer options.
Meat, fish and poultry
| High-risk foods to avoid | Safer options |
|---|---|
| Rotisserie chicken that you buy from a shop | Chicken cooked at home |
| Meat, fish, shellfish and poultry from deli counters | Pre-packed meats, fish, shellfish and poultry |
| Cured meats that have not been cooked, such as salami, Parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni | You can eat these foods if they have been cooked, or if you freeze them for at least 4 days and then defrost them in the fridge for 24 hours. You need to eat the meat on the day of opening it and throw away any leftovers. |
| Smoked fish that has not been cooked | Smoked fish that has been thoroughly cooked |
| Raw or undercooked meat, fish or poultry |
Meat, fish or poultry cooked thoroughly. If you barbecue meat, cook the meat in the oven first and then finish it on the barbecue for flavour. |
| Buffet foods | If a buffet is unavoidable, try to be the first to the buffet and do not return for seconds. |
| Fresh pâté (meat or vegetable) | Tinned pâté |
| Sushi or ceviche (a fish dish marinated in citrus juice), made with raw fish that has not been frozen previously | Sushi or ceviche made with fish that has been frozen previously (check with the shop if buying this) |
| Sushi or ceviche made with raw shellfish | Sushi or ceviche made with cooked shellfish |
Eggs
| High-risk foods to avoid | Safer options |
|---|---|
|
Uncooked eggs and eggs with runny yolks It is best practice to buy British Lion Quality stamped eggs and store them in their box inside the fridge. |
|
|
Home-made sauces, dressings and desserts that contain raw eggs, such as:
If you are in a restaurant, check with the chef whether these items contain raw eggs. |
Any of these items that have been prepared without raw eggs or with pasteurised eggs (check the ingredients on the label for pasteurised eggs) |
| Raw cookie dough or cake batter | Cooked cookies and cakes |
Milk and dairy products
All milk and dairy products, such as yoghurt and cheese, should be either:
- pasteurised (heated at a controlled temperature for a fixed period to kill bacteria)
- ultra-heat treated (UHT) (heated at a high temperature for a very short time to kill bacteria)
This also applies for other options to milk, such as soya, rice or oat milk.
The following tables lists high-risk products that it is best to avoid and safer options:
Cheese
| High-risk products to avoid | Safer options |
|---|---|
| All unpasteurised soft cheese (unless cooked until piping hot) |
|
| Cheese from a deli counter | Pre-wrapped cheese |
| Mould-ripened (white rind) soft cheese (such as Brie and Camembert) | Mould-ripened cheese that has been cooked until piping hot |
| Blue-veined cheese, such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort | Blue-veined cheese that has been cooked until piping hot |
| Home-made cheese, such as paneer |
|
Yoghurt
| High-risk products to avoid | Safer options |
|---|---|
| Bio or probiotic yoghurts | Live yoghurt, plain or natural yoghurt, lassi (a drink made from yoghurt), sour cream, Greek and fruit yoghurt |
| Probiotic drinking yoghurt | Prebiotic yoghurts and other prebiotic products (which do not contain live bacteria themselves) |
| Any type of unpasteurised yoghurt, including home-made yoghurt or kefir (a fermented milk drink with a sour taste and made using a culture of yeasts and bacteria) | Pasteurised versions that you buy from a shop |
| Large sharing pots (these are high-risk products due to possible contamination) | Small, individual pots of yoghurt |
Ice cream
| High-risk products to avoid | Safer options |
|---|---|
| Soft serve ice cream (a smooth, creamy type of ice cream that is dispensed from a machine), such as Mr Whippy | Ice cream products that you buy from a shop |
| Home-made ice ream | Ice cream that you make using a pasteurised egg substitute or an egg-free recipe |
You need to make sure that ice cream is not thawed and refrozen.
Other foods
Here is some guidance about other types of foods:
- Rice: Rice should be served hot and eaten immediately after it is first cooked. It must not be reheated. When ordering a takeaway, it is best to prepare your own rice at home. When eating in a restaurant, check the cooking methods with the kitchen before ordering rice.
- Fruits and vegetables: These are safe to eat if washed thoroughly to remove soil and dirt. You need to avoid unpasteurised fruit juice and smoothies.
Restaurants, takeaways and eating abroad
For the first 6 to 8 weeks after your kidney transplant, you need to avoid eating in restaurants or having takeaways. After this, you can follow these safety tips:
Do
- follow food safety advice, such as only eating meat that has been cooked through
- choose food that has been cooked to order
- make sure that rice dishes are cooked fresh or choose another option, such as potato, pasta or noodles
- make sure that food is piping hot when served
Don't
- do not eat high-risk foods
- do not buy foods from delis and salad bars
- do not choose pre-packed or freshly made sandwiches that contain high-risk foods, such as cured meat or shellfish
If you go abroad, you need to continue following food safety advice and these tips:
Do
- drink bottled water
- choose fruit and vegetables that can be peeled
- wash salad and fruit in bottled or boiled tap water
Don't
- do not drink tap water (unless it is boiled) or drinks made from ice or tap water
It is important to choose restaurants that the Food Standards Agency has given a food hygiene rating of 4 or 5. The highest rating is 5. You can find this information on the Food Standards Agency website at ratings.food.gov.uk or through their mobile phone app.
Resource number: 2234/VER7
Last reviewed: November 2024
Next review due: November 2027
A list of sources is available on request.
