Who can be at risk from eating smoked fish?

Elderly people and pregnant women should avoid smoked fish because of the rare chance of contracting listeria food poisoning, experts warn, writes the Daily Mail. 

Ready-to-eat smoked fish, such as smoked salmon, may contain bacteria that cause listeriosis (an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes). 

In most people, listeriosis is asymptomatic or causes only minor problems, such as aches and pains or diarrhea.

But in children, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems, listeriosis can lead to serious and life-threatening problems such as sepsis or meningitis.

And listeriosis infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.

Since 2020, 14 cases of listeriosis have been reported in the United Kingdom, eight of them since January of this year as part of an ongoing outbreak, the Food Standards Agency reported.

Most of these people reported eating ready-to-eat smoked fish. The agency warns people over the age of 65, pregnant women and those with underlying diseases such as cancer or with weakened immune systems to cook smoked fish carefully before consuming it.

Cooking smoked fish until it is hot will kill all dangerous bacteria and make it safe to eat, the agency said.

People can also further reduce the risk by keeping ready-to-eat smoked fish refrigerated at or above 5C, always using products before the expiration date, following storage instructions on the label, and cooking them until they are ready to eat, experts advised.