Cooking for Family and Friends - Food Safety Week 2003

The Vice Chairman of the Food Safety Information Council, Mr Kerry Bell, has announced that the topic for the2003 Food Safety Week 10-16 November, will beCooking for Family and Friends.

The week will publicise the food safety risks when preparing food for large groups at parties, barbecues and other home-based functions. It is estimated that 5.4 million Australians get food poisoning each year.

‘A party is great fun,’ Mr Bell said. ‘Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, wedding, Xmas or community event, it’s a time when we gather together the people we care about to celebrate. The last thing we want is for it to end with our guests getting sick with food poisoning. Unfortunately, this is too often what happens.

‘The average home kitchen is really not designed for cooking for large numbers of people. Work surfaces, stoves and fridges are intending to cater for normal cooking needs for a family not for preparing large amounts of food. Guests often bring a plate, which means the food can be out of the fridge for several hours, enough time for any bacteria in it to multiply.

‘To avoid a last minute rush, and being too exhausted to enjoy the party, most people start preparing food well ahead of the event. Some non-perishable items, such as a Christmas cake, can be prepared weeks ahead (because the food is too dry for bacteria to grow). Other foods, such as casseroles or sausage rolls, can be cooked in advance but need to be carefully prepared and then chilled under 5 °C or frozen quickly’, Mr Bell said.

During Food Safety Week, the Food Safety Information Council will be putting out messages through the media and the Council’s website www.foodsafety.asn.au about how we can reduce the risks.

Last year’s Food Safety Week set a record level for media coverage which brought the Council’s food safety messages to around 20 million Australians. The Council is confident that the 2003 Campaign will live up this very high standard.

The Food Safety Information Council is a not-for-profit group of State and Federal government agencies, the food industry, consumer groups and professional associations. Membership is open to any organisation which has an interest in promoting safe food handling practices for consumers.

Contact:

Tania Bradley
Project Officer, Food Safety Information Council
Tel: (02) 62544896 Mobile: 0407 626 688