The Hon Christopher Pyne MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Health and Ageing

19 December 2005

Warning to avoid food poisoning at Christmas

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, today launched the Food Safety Information Council’s Christmas Food Safety Campaign and warned consumers about the increasing risk of food poisoning over the Christmas period.

“Food borne illness is not necessarily a minor inconvenience, as we have seen from the recent tragic two deaths in South Australia due to listeriosis,” Mr Pyne said. “Each year 5.4 million Australians are estimated to suffer from food poisoning. Contaminated food causes approximately 18,000 hospitalisations and 120 deaths every year.

“There are strict food safety regulations in place for food businesses but consumers should also be aware about how best to protect their families from food poisoning through safe food handling.

“The Food Safety Information Council’s Christmas campaign will continue the theme of this year’s Food Safety Week – Food on the Move – and will concentrate on food safety advice when celebrating Christmas in the outdoors.

“Beach or riverside barbecues are a particularly Australian way of celebrating Christmas,” Mr Pyne said. “But because this means you are travelling with the food at the hottest time of year, we need to be a bit extra careful when handling food.

“Your food will be taken out of its regular environment in the fridge, freezer or pantry for longer than usual and you will have to rely on a cooler (such as an Esky) to keep it cold.

“Even a barbecue at home can be a risky as you’re likely to be catering for a larger number of people than usual, so the fridge may be overcrowded and unable to keep food at a safe temperature.

“Throwing another prawn on the barbie is a great way to entertain family and friends at Christmas, but make sure that you bring your prawns and other seafood home in an insulated bag or cooler and keep them below five degrees Celsius until you’re ready to cook them.

“‘If hamburgers, sausages or chicken or the traditional turkey are on the barbecue menu, make sure they are cooked right through to the centre with no pink left.

“Don’t pack food in a cooler which has just been cooked and still warm. Coolers can’t cool food enough to prevent bacteria growing. Always cover pre-prepared foods, such as rice salads, securely and keep in the fridge overnight.

“Always pack plenty of ice blocks, frozen bricks or gel packs around the food and make sure raw meats, poultry or fish is packed in leak proof containers at the bottom of the cooler so they can’t drip onto other foods.

“Finally, remember that you may have several generations of the family together at Christmas time which means that you may be preparing food for the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women who are at risk from the food poisoning bacteria listeria. There is detailed advice about avoiding listeria on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/Listeria.pdf .

“These are just a few of the tips to remember for a great outdoor Christmas meal. There are lots more on the Food Safety Information Council’s web site www.foodsafety.asn.au . So pack up those coolers, don’t forget the insect repellent and have a great Christmas,” Mr Pyne concluded.

 

Fact Sheet:  Food safety at Christmas

 

TV CHIEFS OF STAFF PLEASE NOTE:   A video news release will be distributed at 10.15am on Monday 19   December 2005 from Sky Sydney.

Media contact:  Adam Howard Mr Pyne’s Office 0400 414 833
                               Lydia Buchtmann FSANZ (02) 6271 2620 or 0411 268 525 mobile 
                               Tania Bradley Food Safety Information Council 0407 626 688