Food Safety Information Council

The Food Safety Information Council (which used to be known as the Food Safety Campaign Group) is a group of organisations with a mission to stop Australians getting sick from food poisoning. Its members include representatives of government, the food industry and professional associations. [ more..]

Why do they care?

Every year, over seven million Australians get sick from eating contaminated food. It costs the community over two and a half billion dollars each year from lost earnings and medical expenses, and the sufferer has a pretty unpleasant experience. Not only are the symptoms, ranging from diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever debilitating, but It can cause death in extreme cases, and long term illnesses such as Reiter's Syndrome, haemolytic uraemic syndrome and Guillaine-Barrie syndrome can also develop.

The council wants to stop that. It wants to reduce the costs of food poisoning, to maintain the good reputation of Australian produced food and to protect people from a nasty experience or, for the weaker members of the community, protect their lives.

Can food poisoning be prevented?

New food regulations being introduced in Australia should maintain food safety up to the time it reaches the consumer. After that, it' s up to the consumer. But are consumers sufficiently well informed to keep safe food safe when it' s served up to the family?

The Council promotes these simple steps to ensure the food you' re eating is safe.

1      Keep hot food steaming hot
2      Keep cold food refrigerated
3      Cook food properly
4      Separate raw and cooked foods
5      Keep kitchen and utensils clean
6      Wash hands with soap and dry thoroughly