THE HON TRISH WORTH MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for
Health and Ageing

16 October 2002

FOOD SAFETY WEEK THEME TO REDUCE FOOD POISONING RISK FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

School students will be educated about the risks of food poisoning as part of Food Safety Week in November, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Trish Worth, announced today.

Ms Worth said reducing the risk of food poisoning for school students would be the theme for Food Safety Week, to be held this year from 11 to 17 November 2002.

In launching the theme for Food Safety Week, Ms Worth said that getting young people to understand the key food safety messages was an important start to reducing the up to 7 million cases of food poisoning that occur in Australia each year.

'I congratulate the Food Safety Information Council for focussing on getting food safety messages to young people this year,' Ms Worth said.

'There are new, more virulent strains of food poisoning bugs and in a global market with an extensive distribution of food, these bugs can easily and quickly spread around the world.

'People are eating out more and eating more raw foods, which can also be a risk for food poisoning. It is no longer just Mum or Dad who is the household cook, young people also find themselves cooking meals at home and they need to know how to keep the food safe.

'The consumer messages of the Food Safety Information Council are simple:

• Keep hot food steaming hot;
  
  
• Keep cold food refrigerated;
  
  
• Cook food properly;
  
  
• Separate raw and cooked food;
  
  
• Keep kitchen and utensils clean; and
  
  
• Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly.

'These are messages we can all easily follow when handling food.'

Ms Worth said she was pleased to launch in July the national School Canteen Food Safety Project, Looking After Our Kids, which is aimed at assisting school canteens to do their important work in providing safe food to our children. Later this year the Government will launch 'Food Safety Matters', an educational kit for school students.

'However well industry and food regulators work to reduce the risk of food poisoning, consumers have a role to play to ensure that food they take home is safe,' Ms Worth said.

'It is important for consumers to understand food safety messages. I encourage everyone to follow them and wish the Food Safety Information Council every success with Food Safety Week in November this year.'

The Food Safety Information Council is a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of educating consumers in safe food handling.

Its members include experts from all State and Territory health departments; the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing; Food Standards Australia New Zealand; Food Science Australia; the Australian Food and Grocery Council; the Australian Consumer and Speciality Products Association; the Dietitians' Association of Australia; the Australian Pork Corporation; the Australian Chicken Meat Federation; Safe Food Production New South Wales; Safe Food Production Queensland; and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology.

For more information about the Food Safety Information Council and Food Safety Week visit the website at: www.foodstandards.gov.au/whatsinfood/foodsafetyinformationcouncil/index.cfm .