What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning is
illness resulting from consumption of contaminated food or water. Food can be
contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi, or by toxins produced by
them. Food poisoning is one of the most common illnesses in Australia, with an
estimated 4 to 7 million cases of foodborne illness each year.
General
principles
Many different
organisms can cause food poisoning. Most are particular types of bacteria and
more than 95% of reported cases of bacterial food poisoning are caused by
infection with just two species, Campylobacter and Salmonella.
Dangerous bacteria can survive on many foods.
Sources
Sources of food
poisoning include:
unpasteurised milk (raw or non-heat
treated milk)
improperly handled eggs for example:
using cracked or dirty
eggs
not washing hands after
cracking or handling eggs
not refrigerating raw
egg products
undercooked meats,
including beef, pork and especially chicken
stored cooked rice,
gravies and sauces (including home-made mayonnaise)
fresh fruit and vegetables.
Contaminated food may
not look, smell or taste any different from food that is safe.
The risk of food
poisoning is significantly reduced if food is correctly handled and cooked,
eaten immediately or stored properly.
Causes
Food poisoning can be
caused by:
someone who is sick
preparing food for others to eat
eating food that is not
cooked thoroughly
allowing food to be at
a temperature, for more than 4 hours, that allows bacteria to grow well.
Keep food cold enough (fridge or freezer) or hot enough (steaming hot) to guard
against bacterial growth. However, the bacteria Listeria can grow in
refrigerators.
Listeria can cause illness and death in the elderly, people who are immune
suppressed and in pregnant women. Infection can also cause miscarriage.
cross contamination
from raw meat (red meat or white meat) in the kitchen. Raw meat is the most
important source of dangerous bacteria. This is especially so with raw poultry
which is nearly always contaminated with Campylobacter andSalmonella.
Proper cooking kills these bacteria but they can be easily transferred to foods
that won’t be further cooked (for example salads) by hands or utensils such as
chopping boards or knives.
Avoid hand contact with raw meat but if this is not practical, wash hands (with
soap and running water) thoroughly afterwards.
Thorough cleaning of chopping boards and knives with detergent and warm water
is required after each use. Best practice is to have a separate chopping board
for raw meat and to clean the board and utensils in a dishwasher.
drinking contaminated
water.
Personal
hygiene practices
Always wash your hands with soap and running
water before preparing or eating food. Remember also to wash your hands after:
using the toilet for
any reason. A variety of surfaces in the toilet may have traces of faeces on
them
changing nappies
handling raw meat or
eggs
using a handkerchief or
tissue, coughing or sneezing
smoking
touching animals
handling garbage
gardening.
Do not
sneeze or cough over
food
prepare food for others
if suffering from throat, skin or bowel infections
smoke in areas where
food is prepared
use a dirty tea towel
for drying dishes – it is better to let them air dry on a draining board or
dish rack.
Do
protect cuts and sores
on the hands or fingers with a clean dressing and waterproof cover or
disposable gloves
prevent hair from
falling into food – tie it away from the face
ensure that children
wash their hands before eating or assisting with food preparation
clean inside your
cupboards and fridge regularly – crumbs in cupboards can attract pests and
dirty fridges can harbour bacteria.
Pests
Pests such as flies,
cockroaches and mice carry disease. Keep food safe by:
keeping flies out of
the kitchen, storage and dining areas
using fly spray
thoughtfully – cover all food before you spray and until you can no longer
smell the spray
keeping food scraps
stored in garbage bins with close fitting lids – this prevents pests eating the
scraps and breeding
storing chemicals used
to control pests in areas away from those used to store, prepare or eat food.
Pets
Do not allow animals
into kitchens – in particular, do not feed them in the kitchen. Do not wash pet
food bowls in the kitchen sink.
Shopping
The inside of a car
provides the ideal environment and temperature for bacteria to multiply, so
food should be in the car for as short a time as possible.
Get refrigerated and
frozen foods at the end of the shopping trip and keep them cold.
Keep hot foods separate
from cold foods.
Check date markings on
food packages, for example, use by or best before dates.
Never buy or use
badly dented cans
leaking cartons, cans,
bottles or containers
food packaged in torn
or ripped packaging or packaging that has been tampered with
food packages or cans
that are swollen
cracked or dirty eggs
ready-to-eat food that
has been in contact with raw meat, chicken or their juices. Take note of how
ready-to-eat foods are presented as you shop
products in vacuum
packs if the packaging has become loose.
Storing food
Remember to:
store eggs in the
fridge. This improves quality and minimises any safety risk
immediately freeze
products that you do not intend to use before the use by date. Freezing greatly
extends the use by date
check the temperature
of your refrigerator using a fridge thermometer. It should be 5ºC or less.
Cooked food can be
allowed to cool to reasonably warm (about 45ºC) before it is put into the
fridge; it is not essential to let it completely cool. Food will cool faster in
smaller containers, and metal containers lose heat faster than plastic ones.
Store raw meats near
the bottom of the fridge to ensure that juices do not drip onto other foods.
Alternatively, put meat onto a covered tray or container within the fridge.
Keep raw foods on
separate plates from ready- to-eat foods such as cooked foods and salads.
Bacteria still grow in foods that have been kept refrigerated – they just take
longer to grow.
Handling and preparing
food
Safe food handling and
preparation practices include:
washing hands well with soap for at
least 10 to 15 seconds and then rinsing with clean running water before
preparing food, before eating and after touching raw meats
asking other people to
prepare food if you are not feeling well
never placing cooked
foods on dishes that have contained raw products such as meat, poultry and
fish, unless the plates have been thoroughly washed first
never using a sauce on
cooked food if it has been previously used to marinate raw meat or seafood,
unless the marinade has been cooked first or will be cooked. For example, do
not spoon the uncooked juices or marinade over the cooked food and serve. The
uncooked marinade will probably contain harmful bacteria
all fruit and
vegetables should be thoroughly washed if they are to be eaten raw. Sprouts and
herbs should be rinsed before serving
never keep perishable
food outside of a fridge for longer than 4 hours
never refrigerate
perishable foods that have been at room temperature for more than 2 hours. This
includes preparation and serving time.
Thawing frozen foods
Thaw meat and other
foods in the bottom of the fridge whenever possible. Food can be thawed in a
microwave oven, at room temperature (for example, on a bench) or in water,
provided the food is cooked immediately after it has thawed.
Take great care if you
cook meat when it is only partially thawed. Make sure that it is cooked right
through.
Cooking and reheating
The surface of meat is
usually the part that is contaminated with bacteria. Problems arise especially
when contamination from the outside is moved to the inside, such as when meat
is minced or sliced or a skewer is pushed through the meat. Then the meat must
be thoroughly cooked right through. Therefore mince, sausages, hamburger
patties, rolled roasts, kebabs, yiros, shasliks and other such foods should be
cooked right through. Thorough cooking means that there is no pink meat and the
juices run clear when the meat is skewered, cut or pressed.
If you have access to a
meat thermometer, you can use it to check the internal temperatures. In the
case of hamburgers and poultry, make sure they are cooked throughout. Aim for
around 75ºC in the centre of the meat item.
Microwaves are a quick
and convenient way to cook foods, but they tend to heat foods unevenly, leaving
cold spots. So, when microwaving foods, always rotate and stir the food during
cooking for more even cooking. Also, wait until the required standing time is
over before you check that cooking is complete, because foods continue to cook
even when the microwave is turned off.
When reheating foods,
heat to steaming hot. This will kill any bacteria which may have grown on the
food in the fridge.
Eating outdoors
(picnics, barbecues,
camping, school lunches)
Warm summer weather is
perfect for bacteria to grow.
Keep all food cold,
unless it has just been cooked and will be eaten hot straight away. Do not pack
food if it has just been cooked and will be eaten cool. Let it get cold in the
fridge first.
Do the maximum amount
of food preparation at home, particularly if hand washing facilities are
inadequate at the place where the food will be eaten.
When camping, it is
best to pack dried, canned and ultra heat treated (UHT) foods rather than fresh
foods.
When packing children’s
lunches, either pack a frozen ice block drink in the lunch box to keep food
cold (summer and winter) or choose foods that will not ‘go off’. That is, do
not pack foods that would normally be kept in the fridge, such as milk, soft cheese,
meats or eggs, even in sandwiches.
Fillings for sandwiches
that are fairly safe under warmer conditions are often those fillings that can
sit on a shelf without needing refrigeration, such as honey, yeast extracts and
peanut butter products.
In some schools where
there are children with severe allergies to nuts and nut products, parents may
be asked not to include nuts and nut products in their children’s school
lunches.
Eating out (restaurants and
take-aways)
Cold foods should be
cold to the touch and should be displayed on ice or in a fridge.
Poultry, mince,
sausages, hamburger patties, rolled roasts, kebabs, yiros, shasliks and other
such foods should be cooked right through. If they are not, send them back.
Eat hot foods while
they are still hot. Be careful about handling leftovers, including foods taken
home in a ‘doggy bag’. They should be put in the refrigerator as soon as
possible.
