 |
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.
That means a quarter of us are likely to get food poisoning in the next year! However, most food poisoning is easy to prevent.
The aim of Australian Food Safety Week is to improve consumer knowledge of how to handle, store and cook food safely.
TV cooking shows are as popular as ever and seem to be where many of us learn to cook. However, often these gloss over good food safety practices.
One of the main causes of food poisoning is cross-contamination when bacteria from raw foods including meat, poultry and vegetables with visible dirt, such as unwashed potatoes, get transferred on to ready-to-eat foods. Hands are one the main culprits in transferring bacteria from these types of raw food. But chopping boards, knives and other kitchen implements can also spread food poisoning bacteria.
You can reduce the risk of food poisoning by washing your hands thoroughly with running water and soap, then drying them properly on a clean hand towel. Hands need to be cleaned before you start preparing food and after handling any raw foods such as chicken and meat. Similarly, only use equipment which has been thoroughly cleaned to prepare food, especially food that will not be cooked or heated before being eaten, such as salads.
To help prevent food poisoning and spoilage bacteria multiplying in your food, keep the temperature of your fridge at or below 5ºC. It might need some adjusting to cope with summer heat and extra use.
Domestic freezers became popular in the 1970s for bulk freezing. For many of us, especially those in the country, they are now essential. Freezers are also a great way to save money by stocking up on specials and preparing food ahead of time.
Divide large batches of food into smaller ones before freezing them. This way the food freezes better, is easier and quicker to defrost and more convenient in the long run.
It is best to plan: defrost food in the fridge over a couple of days or defrost in a microwave rather than leaving it on the kitchen bench.
Defrost frozen poultry, minced, rolled and stuffed meats thoroughly before cooking. Cook them right through until the juices run clear when you insert a skewer into the middle. This is unlike solid pieces of meat, like steak or a whole roasts, which are quite safe to eat when they’re still pink or even red in the centre.
Finally, if you have vomiting or diarrhoea, you should not prepare food.
Australian Food Safety Week from 9-15 November is an activity of the Food Safety Information Council, a not-for-profit association with members from government, business and community groups. Queensland Health is a member of the association.
You’ll find more information about preparing safe food at home on the following websites:
Other languages