19 November 2001
Save your family from food poisoning this summer - keep your fridge cold
Food Safety Week 19 - 25 November 2001
67% Australians didn't know how cold or how hot food should be kept to keep it safe and avoid food poisoning, according to recent Quantum national research released at the launch of Food Safety Week by Chairman of the Food Safety Information Council, Barry Shay.
'The Australia New Zealand Food Authority estimates that each year over four million Australians get sick from eating contaminated food at a cost to the community of over two and a half billion dollars from lost earnings and medical expenses. Too many of these cases of food poisoning are caused by poor food handling in the home,' Mr Shay said.
'With food poisoning bacteria changing and, in some cases, becoming more virulent, people eating a wider variety of food and more high-risk food and new cooking technology such as microwaving requiring new skills, people need to know more about how to handle food safely,' Mr Shay said.
'The survey results show an alarming lack of knowledge about food safety issues among consumers. Australia has one of the safest food supplies in the world' , Mr Shay says. ' This has been achieved by effective working partnerships between food manufacturers, food handlers, retailers and government regulators. However once the food leaves the supermarket keeping it safe is up to the consumer.
Food Safety Week this year has the theme 'Chill out this summer' and is aiming to help people get to know their fridges. We want to let them know that the temperature of the fridge should be kept below 5 degrees Celsius. Above this temperature, the beer may come out cold, but the temperature may not be cold enough to keep food out of the temperature danger zone where food poisoning bacteria can multiply rapidly on the food.
'You should use a fridge thermometer, check it often and if it shows the fridge temperature is above 5 degrees Celsius, adjust the setting to lower the temperature.
'We also want to let people know how to store food in the fridge. They need to know that they should store raw meat below the salads or other ready-to eat food. If they don't, the blood and juices from the meat could drip on to the salads. Those juices will contain food poisoning bacteria which will then contaminate the salads. If the meat is thoroughly cooked before eating, that will kill the bacteria on the meat, but the bacteria will be eaten along with the salads.
' When the fridge can't hold another thing, we are letting people know which are the most important items to stay in the fridge and which can be put elsewhere. Most people know to keep the meat refrigerated but perhaps think the rice salad could be moved into the cupboard overnight especially if there's no meat in it. This is wrong. Dishes such as rice or pasta salad can be just as dangerous as meat dishes. Dried rice and pasta contain bacteria which produce spores which can survive the cooking process. These bacteria grow if the salads are then stored at room temperature. These dishes should always be kept in the fridge.
'And the fridge shouldn't be too overcrowded either or the cold air can't circulate properly around the food. So what should people do? Well, maybe the beer and other drinks could be moved into an esky with lots of ice or ice packs to keep them cold. At least the beer can't cause food poisoning - the food can,' Mr Shay said
'The Food Safety Information Council which organises Food Safety Week is a not-for-profit organisation composed of Federal and State government agencies and industry and health professional associations. The Council promotes six simple food safety rules.
- Keep hot food steaming hot
- Keep cold food refrigerated
- Separate raw and cooked foods
- Cook food properly
- Wash hands with soap and dry thoroughly
- Keep kitchen and utensils clean.
'If everyone follows these six simple rules, it will go a long way towards reducing the instances of food poisoning every year in Australia,' Mr Shay said.
TV Please Note : A video news release of the launch and footage covering food safety tips will be distributed at 11am on 19 November 2001. It will include the award winning advertisement ' Unforgettable' which has been produced by Queensland Health and can be used as a community service announcement.