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Background information on food safety

The summer Foodsafe campaign aims at heightening awareness of how to reduce food borne illness in the home.

The New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership has been formed to reduce the burden of food borne illness. It comprises the food industry, public health units, nutritionists, consumer groups and the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry and Health. It aims to reduce food borne illness among New Zealanders by running a food safety campaign for the home. The campaign was launched on 3 November 2000 and will continue through December. The campaign consists of national TV advertisements, food safety posters and leaflets.

'Food borne illness' is a term that describes a range of symptoms resulting from eating food contaminated with living germs or poisons they produce. Symptoms can range from mild nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea to severe illness resulting in hospital admission or rarely, even death. Contrary to popular belief, illness is usually not caused by the last thing you ate, in illnesses such as Listeria infection, illness can occur weeks after eating the contaminated food.

The incidence of food borne illness in New Zealand has reached alarming levels. An estimated 200,000 or more cases of food borne illness occur each year. Rates of Campylobacter and Salmonella infection reached record highs in 1998. The number of cases of Campylobacter infection notified to public health authorities was 11,580 in 1998. The New Zealand rate is three times that of Australia and twice that of the United Kingdom.

Increasing efforts have been made by the food industry and agencies responsible for regulating food safety in New Zealand over the last decade to reduce illness. However, education of the consumer in matters of food safety has not been a focus. It has been estimated that 20-40% of food borne illness is attributed to incorrect handling of food by the consumer. There is a spectrum of responsibility for food safety, which commences with the producer, extends through manufacturers, distributors, retailers and ends with the consumer. A 'paddock to plate' approach to food safety is required if New Zealand is to reduce its high levels of food borne illness. All New Zealanders are food consumers and, if they handle food properly, can provide a crucial last line of defence against food borne illness.

In order to prevent food borne illness, the public don't need to become food hygiene experts and the kitchen does not need to be a sterile place. There are only a limited number of germs that are able to cause food borne illness and in general, these are introduced into the kitchen by unclean hands or on raw food. Analysis of the causes of outbreaks of food borne illness points to a few key safety actions, which if observed, will reduce the chances of illness in the home. The four key safety actions are:

Clean

Clean hands are extremely important in preventing food borne illness. 'Clean hands' are hands that are washed for at least 10 seconds with soap and water and dried for at least 10 seconds on a clean, dry hand towel. By performing both of these steps the germ count on the hands can be effectively reduced. Thorough drying is critical, as recent research has shown that hands that have been washed but not dried are more of a risk for transferring germs to food than hands not washed at all! Particular attention should be given to washing hands: after gardening, after handling pets, after going to the toilet, before handling food and after handling raw meats and poultry.

Be careful to scrub knives, utensils and chopping boards between tasks and in particular between preparing raw food and ready to eat foods. Failing to do so will allow germs to transfer to food that is ready to eat. Unclean chopping boards are a common way to transmit germs. The type of material the board is made from (such as wood, plastic or ceramic) is not important, what is important is how it is used and cleaned.

Dish cloths are dish cloths, hand towels are hand towels and tea towels are tea towels. They should not be used interchangeably. Meat and poultry juice spills are best cleaned up with disposable paper towels and not the dishcloth. Dishcloths are usually only cleaned when they begin to smell or become discoloured. It pays to change towels and dishcloths daily, and towels when they are wet. Dishcloths should be sanitised by soaking in shallow water overnight with 5-10 drops of ordinary household bleach. An alternative is to put the cloth through the hot wash cycle of the automatic dishwasher, or for the traditionalists, a good launder and a day's exposure to the wind and the sun's ultraviolet should suffice.

Cook

Chicken, meat patties and sausages need to be cooked thoroughly. Raw meat is a prime source of Salmonella and Campylobacter. One way of ensuring this is to cut the food and check that there are no traces of pink in the meat and that the juices are not pink either. It is wise to pre-cook these items before barbecuing.

Cool hot foods quickly and place them in the refrigerator.

Defrost foods in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen bench, this will reduce the likelihood of germ growth. Ensure food is thawed prior to cooking.

Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot throughout, do not reheat more than once.

Cover

Cover foods before storing them in the fridge. Store raw meats and poultry in the bottom of the refrigerator in such a way as to prevent juices dripping onto other foods.

Chill

Keep perishable foods, those that can 'go off, in the refrigerator, germs thrive at room temperature, so keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot (60'C).

If a long period of time will elapse between purchasing cold foods and putting them in the refrigerator, use a chilly bin with a chiller pad to keep them cold. Chiller pads should also be used to keep cold picnic foods chilled.

Don't forget to always check the use-by dates on foods - if in doubt, throw it out.

Don't cook for others if you have have symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting. Some germs, particularly viruses are highly contagious and are easily transmitted to other family members through food handling. A further consideration is the household pet. Pets can carry germs such as Campylobacter and Salmonella and feeding them in the kitchen may encourage them to investigate other sources of sustenance on the kitchen bench!

 

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Related Links

• Food Safe - Background Information
• Food Safe - Keep Food Safe this Summer
• Food Safe - BBQ Food Safety
• Food Safe - Media Statement