As we head into another hot Australian summer, Food Standards Australia New Zealand have been taking Australians to task for their poor food safety practices. Our recent survey provided a wealth of information from more than 2,000 respondents. While cooking, the agency found they were using improper food-handling procedures less than half the time. Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining cleanliness in kitchens and ensuring food safety to prevent foodborne illnesses, which affect millions across the country each year.
Vincent Ho is an associate professor of medicine and an academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University. He talks about the importance of temperature control in keeping our food safe. Bacteria thrive in a temperature range known as the “danger zone,” Ho explains. This region goes from 5 C to 60 C. This is especially dangerous in summertime, when warmer temps already make foodborne illness more likely.
Rozita Vaskoska, consumer food safety spokesperson at Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, says knowing how to read the information on food labels is crucial. The Use By date is the last day a product should be eaten for health and safety purposes. The ‘Best Before’ date is about quality, not safety. You will still be able to consume food after this date, but the food’s quality and taste would not be up to the mark.
Foodborne illness creates a heavy burden on Australia’s healthcare system, costing almost $3 billion each year. There are an estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning annually, leading to 47,900 hospitalizations and 38 deaths. To mitigate these risks, experts recommend regular deep cleaning of refrigerators, which involves removing all food and shelves to ensure thorough sanitation.
At a minimum, regular rotation of food items is one simple and effective way to ensure food safety too. Keeping recently delivered items behind and using older products first avoids wasted fruits and vegetables. If you have boxed cereal on hand, move it into an airtight container. This is a much more effective method than just storing packaging and any outer removable wrappers,” Vaskoska recommends.
Cleaning practices are equally important. Ho suggests cleaning shelves and drawers with warm, soapy water. If that’s not an option, a solution of water and vinegar will work as a good safer substitute. He is a strong proponent of drying every surface completely to eliminate moisture that could lead to bacterial growth.
“When you are washing the shelves and drawers, use warm, soapy water. If you don’t have access to that, use a little bit of water and vinegar mix again.” – Vincent Ho
Along with cleanliness, proper storage conditions are critical for keeping bacterial growth at bay. There’s a better way. “Food needs to be stored in the right environment to prevent bacteria from thriving,” Ho stressed once again. As we enter warmer months, it is more important than ever to be aware of food safety practices.
“When you have warm environments, certainly, people are more likely to be more susceptible to gastroenteritis,” – Vincent Ho
As summer approaches, in addition to food producers improving safety practices, the responsibility lies with consumers to be more aware of their food storage practices.
“It’s good to not bring external packaging inside the pantry because it can bring the risk of moths as well,” – Rozita Vaskoska
