How many times have you attended a birthday party where a cake is brought out? It is typically decorated with a few candles for a young child to a near inferno for others. People then break into a verse of ‘Happy Birthday to You” or some other celebratory song. At the songs’ end, the celebrant acknowledges the well wishes and then blows out the candles.
While this custom has occurred for centuries, most of us never think about the health risks this celebratory custom creates. Australian Medical Association President Steve Hambleton says, “If you’re blowing out candles, how many organisms are transferred to a communal cake, for goodness sake?”
The simple act of blowing out the candles leaves microscopic droplets of spit covering the food. This means that every type of bacteria in the human mouth is spewed over the cake and consumed by most in the room. Leftover cake is then stored for consumption later which gives bacteria on the cake additional time to grow.
Besides the obvious issues related to hygiene and the off-putting idea of eating such contaminated and unhygienic food, there is a real health issue. Cold and flu symptoms are not apparent in the first two days of illness.
In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council recently published guidelines on how to try and stop the spread of illnesses at birthday parties. They suggest that a companion cake or cupcake be used for the act of blowing out the candles. In this way, the celebration can continue while removing the potential health hazard.
So next time you are having a celebration, remember to make or buy another single serving cake for the guest of honor. By making this simple change, you are proactively helping to deter the spread of easily communicable illnesses.
