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Australian Food Safety Week 2011

7 - 13 November 2011 - Australians most at risk from food poisoning

Statistically, around 25 per cent of Australians get food poisoning each year. While food poisoning may be just an unpleasant experience for most people, it can be very dangerous for certain people.

People most at risk of serious and potentially life threatening illness include pregnant women and their unborn or newborn children, people older than mid 60s and anyone with a weakened immune system.

This includes anyone suffering from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, liver or kidney disease and anyone on medication that suppresses the immune system, for example prednisone or cortisone, and organ transplant patients.

These groups are at higher risk of contracting listeriosis, a bacterial illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes. They are also more likely to suffer more serious complications from other food-borne illness pathogens such as Salmonella.

Brochures, fact sheets and videos

As a health professional you may be in a position where you can provide food safety information to pregnant women, people older than mid 60s and patients with weakened immune systems.

The following resources may be useful for inclusion in resources provided to patients and clients.

1. Brochure: Listeria and food - advice for people at risk
2. Fact sheet: Listeria and food - the risk to people with weakened immune systems (1 page)
3. Additional information on Listeria for health workers, dieticians and others assisting, or in contact with people who are at higher risk of listeriosis
4. Video and webinar: Pregnancy and food
5. Translated video: Food safety and pregnancy
6. Fact sheet: Do you cook and bring food to an elderly relative or friend in an aged care facility?
7. Fact sheet: Preparing food for an infant or young child

Precautions

There are a number of simple things we can all do to prevent food poisoning. However, it is recommended the previously listed risk groups should avoid eating the following foods:

• Soft and semi soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and fetta
• Ready to eat cold meats, including deli and packaged meats (eg. ham, salami, cooked chicken)
• Ready-to-eat salads (from salad bars, buffets, supermarkets etc)
• Paté
• Soft serve ice cream and thickshakes
• Raw seafood (eg. sashimi, sushi, oysters), smoked seafood and peeled cooked prawns
• Unpasteurised dairy products (eg. raw milk)
• Raw egg.

Ideally, it is best for those at risk to eat freshly cooked meals and well-washed freshly prepared fruit, vegetables and salad items. Leftovers and home-cooked cold meats are okay, provided they are refrigerated promptly and stored no longer than a day.

The following general precautions are recommended to keep food safe:

• Wash and dry your hands before handling food, and after touching raw poultry, meat or seafood
• Don't prepare food if you have vomiting or diarrhoea
• Cook poultry, minced meat and sausages thoroughly until the juices run clear
• Ensure raw meat and poultry does not come into contact with foods that won't be cooked
• Store perishable food in a refrigerator at 5 degrees Celsius or below
• Thaw food in the fridge or defrost food in the microwave
• Cool leftover food in the fridge rather than on the bench
• Wash kitchen ware such as chopping boards and knives after use
• Make sure all food is used within the use-by date
• Eat leftovers within 24 hours and reheat foods to steaming hot
• Cracked and dirty eggs should not be used.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing estimates 5.4 million Australians get sick annually from eating food contaminated with bacteria or viruses. About a fifth of these are linked to poor food safety practices at home.

Australian Food Safety Week from 7-13 November is an activity of the Food Safety Information Council, a not-for-profit association that aims to improve consumer knowledge of how to handle, store and cook food safely. It has members from government, business and community groups. Queensland Health is a member of the association.

For more information contact the Food Safety Policy and Regulation Unit, phone (07) 332 89310 or foodsafety@health.qld.gov.au.