The Impact of Food Poisoning.

About 5.4 million Australians contract food poisoning each year and most cases can be prevented. This results, on average: in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, 300,000 prescriptions for antibiotics, and 2.1 million days of lost work. The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion.

Food does not necessarily have to look, taste or smell bad to be off. Bacteria, viruses and toxins that can cause food poisoning – such as E. coli, Listeria, norovirus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus – can be in foods such as raw meats, seafood, eggs, uncooked rice, flour, and raw fruit and vegetables at the time of purchase. Improper storage or cooking as well as poor hygiene can also encourage bacteria to grow. Less common causes of food poisoning include accidental chemical poisoning and natural contaminants.

In order to avoid food poisoning you should:

Keep it cold

keep the fridge at 5°C or below

put any food that needs to be kept cold in the fridge straight away

don't use food that’s meant to be in the fridge if it’s been left out for 2 hours or more

defrost and marinate foods – especially meats - in the fridge

Keep it clean

wash and dry hands thoroughly before starting to prepare or eat any food, even a snack

keep benches, kitchen equipment and tableware clean and dry

don't let raw meat juices drip onto other foods

separate raw and cooked food and use different cutting boards and knives for both

Keep it hot

cook foods until they're steaming hot

reheat foods until they're steaming hot

make sure there's no pink left in cooked meats such as mince or sausages

look for clear juices before serving chicken or pork

heat to boiling all marinades containing raw meat juices before serving

Check the label

don’t use food past a 'use by' date

note a 'best before' date

follow storage and cooking instructions

be allergy aware

ask for information about unpackaged foods