The following is a media release from the New South Wales Food Authority and is included here with permission.

1 February 2019

The NSW Food Authority is urging people to check their kitchens for any eggs that are marked with the identifying stamp BEC or BEC115 because they may be contaminated with a particular type of Salmonella.

The stamp BEC or BEC115 will be found on the shell of individual eggs, not on the carton.

NSW Food Authority CEO Dr Lisa Szabo said thanks to mandatory egg stamping required in NSW, the Food Authority has been able to isolate the particular batch of eggs.

“All other eggs are safe to eat, provided people exercise the usual caution required for a special care food like eggs such as washing your hands and avoiding raw egg products particularly if you are a vulnerable population such as the immune compromised, under two or over 70 years of age or pregnant,” Dr Szabo said.

“It is important to know that not all eggs are impacted but if you have any stamped with BEC or BEC115 we recommend as a precaution that you discard them.

“We typically see a rise in Salmonella during the warmer summer months, so this is an opportune time to remind people to practice good hygiene generally when preparing food and to always keep their hands, surfaces and utensils clean and dry before and after handling eggs.”

Salmonellosis symptoms include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms usually start around six to 72 hours after the contaminated food is eaten and usually last for four to seven days but can continue for much longer.

If you have immediate health concerns contact your medical professional in the first instance.

NSW Health data indicates that during January 2019, 412 cases of Salmonella infection have been notified, which is similar to the number notified during January in recent years. Children under 5 years of age account for most cases notified this month, although all age groups are affected.

The NSW Food Authority placed a Prohibition Order on the business that produced the eggs earlier in January preventing them from selling eggs while the possible Salmonella contamination was investigated.

“While it is likely that most affected eggs are no longer in the supply chain, it is possible that people may have purchased them earlier and still have some at home in the fridge or pantry,” Dr Szabo said.

“We’d just like people to check and if they do have any eggs stamped BEC or BEC115 to throw them out to avoid any risk of food poisoning.”

Further information about how to reduce your food safety risk when consuming eggs can be found at www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/eggs

The following is a media release from Food Standards Australia New Zealand and is included here with permission.

Strawberry tampering investigation report released

Date: 1/02/2019

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released its report on the strawberry tampering incident, with key recommendations focusing on the need for improved communication during incidents, particularly those involving criminal matters.

“The government has already acted in response to this incident by strengthening penalties for intentional contamination of food,  and helping FSANZ progress their review into high-risk horticulture sectors,” Mr Booth said.

“The report’s recommendations, once implemented, will help ensure an improved response to any future incidents. These improvements will support our growers and ensure Australians can continue to trust in our effective and responsive food safety system.”

Mr Booth said several recommendations focused on improved communication in incidents involving criminal investigations, as well as a review of existing food incident protocols.

“I’d like to thank all of the stakeholders who contributed to the development of this report,” Mr Booth said.

Read the report – http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Pages/Strawberry-tampering-incident.aspx

Media contact

0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand) or media@foodstandards.gov.au

The following information is from Food Standards Australia New Zealand and is included here with permission.

Easier access to nutrition data is only a click away with the release of the Australian Food Composition Database. The database (previously called NUTTAB) has had a makeover including an improved web interface and enhanced search. We’ve also introduced:

• custom serve sizes to help users easily calculate the nutrient content based on what they eat (any gram or millilitre amount)
• new data for foods such as milk and bread; and new foods added such as rocket, quinoa, oat and rice milk, gluten free flour and pasta, and green tea
• a unique code (the Public Food Key) which replaces the previously used Food ID
• a core set of nutrients for all foods, which means that every food in the database will have a value for at least these 54 nutrients.

Access the database at www.foodstandards.gov.au/afcd

The following is a new media release from the Food Safety Information Council Ltd and is included here with permission.

The Food Safety Information Council today launched their back to work and school food safety tips. The focus this year is on the risk of potentially deadly Listeria infection.

Council Chair, Rachelle Williams, said Omnipoll research showed a third of people who are at risk of Listeria, or living with someone at risk, had never heard of Listeria infection and two in ten of these couldn’t name any of the foods they needed to avoid or cook to prevent Listeria infection.

‘One of the most common questions we are asked is what are safer lunchtime alternatives for people at risk of Listeria,’ she said, ‘especially as many lunchtime favourites such as sushi, sliced deli meats, cold chicken, soft cheeses, cut fruit, and pre-prepared salads are high risk foods for Listeria infection.’

People at risk of Listeria include pregnant women, the immune compromised and the elderly. You can check if you are at risk of Listeria infection by taking our simple quiz.

Ms Williams suggested some safer lunchtime options for those at risk:

• Make your own lunch. This will be safer, but be extra careful with cleanliness in your own kitchen
• Prepare your own salads and cut up your own fruit, but don’t use bagged salads, pre-cut fruit, or whole or cut rockmelon
• Replace soft cheeses like camembert, brie, and fetta with hard ones like cheddar
• You can bring leftovers from last night’s dinner for lunch, but don’t use refrigerated leftovers that are more than 24 hours old as Listeria bacteria can still grow under refrigeration. Keep them cool before lunch in the workplace fridge or an insulated container with a freezer block. Leftovers and other prepared food will last longer if frozen – make sure they are reheated correctly in the work microwave or oven
• You can also purchase hot foods at lunchtime as cooking kills Listeria.

She offered 6 simple lunchbox food safety tips that everyone should follow for work or school lunchboxes:

1. When buying lunchboxes, choose those that have room for a frozen drink or freezer block and are easy to clean and dry.
2. Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before preparing food, and wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
3. Make sure lunchbox foods are always kept separated from raw foods in the refrigerator, particularly raw meats, chicken, eggs in their shells, and fish.
4. Keep the lunch cool in the fridge until you are ready to leave home, then put an ice brick in it and refrigerate as soon as you get to work (or keep in a cooler with ice bricks if you work outside.) Discard any higher risk foods such as sushi, salad, meat, poultry or eggs if not eaten within a day of you cooking or preparing them.
5. Your child’s lunchbox will keep a safe temperature until lunchtime at school as long as it has a frozen drink or ice brick in it. During hot weather you may want to consider providing safer lunchbox alternatives, such as hard or processed cheese, tuna in a can or vacuum packed, or sandwich spreads.
6. If your leftovers need reheating they must reach 75°C in the centre of the food, so either use a meat thermometer to check, or use the automatic reheat function in the work microwave and follow any prompts to stir the food or let it stand for a time after reheating.

‘The Food Safety Information Council would particularly like to thank Tonic Health Media for their support. They are Australia’s largest health and wellness network and will be broadcasting our important food safety messages in more than 5,300 GP practices, hospitals, pharmacies and health centre waiting areas across the country to an audience of over 15 million per month. See their website for more info.’ Ms Williams concluded.

The Food Safety Information Council is a health promotion charity and Australia’s leading disseminator of consumer-targeted food safety information. The Council aims to address the estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 31,920 hospitalisations, 86 deaths and 1 million visits to doctors on average each year.

Further information:

Useful links from our member the Dietitians Association of Australia:

• What can I put in my child’s lunch box
• Nutrition for pregnancy, which also addresses food safety

Media contact:

Lydia Buchtmann, Food Safety Information Council, 0407 626 688 or info@foodsafety.asn.au

There are estimated to be 4.1 million cases of food poisoning each year in Australia and much of that is sourced with consumers.

Food poisoning can be as minor as stomach ache all the way through vomitting and diarrhoea to a day or so off work through to days in hospital to long term medical conditions to death. There are around 200 deaths a year linked to food poisoning and it  is mainly the high risk groups in our community which are most at risk.

Research by FSIC in 2018 shows that 1 in 3 people in our community are either in one of the four high risk groups (elderly, young, immune compromised or pregnant women) or live with someone who is.

With one in six of us getting food poisoning each year and one in three being either high risk or in close contact with someone who is, food poisoning is one of the major health issues for this country.

The problem is that most people do not see food poisoning as anything really serious, but in some cases people who have had it will have long term health issues and may need things like kidney transplants.

The Food Safety Information Council Ltd (FSIC) was started in 1997 when it was realised by the Commonwealth and state / territory governments that there was a need for a specific independent body to provide food safety information for consumers.

Since then the FSIC has been leading  the annual Food Safety Week in the second week of November as well as becoming a trusted source of interviews and information for the media in Australia.

The FSIC is committed to only providing scientifically correct food safety information in a way that makes it easy for consumers to understand.

Like many community related health charities in this country the work is all done by volunteers, who are experts in their fields.

There is much information available for use by both consumers and businesses alike on the website – www.foodsafety.asn.au

Bacillius cereus is a common food poisoning bacteria, which causes both vomitting and diarrhoea. It can be found on many foods, including ccoked rice and pasta. It also produces spores which allow it to survive even boiling water and will then grow very easily if foods with it are not stored and handled correctly.

The symptoms of B.ceraus are caused by two different toxins.

A discovery made by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) may have significantly reduced the impact of this pathogen and that of food poisoning from other toxin formers.

The research has found that the toxins from B.cerus cause illness by binding to a cell and punching a hole in it’s walls, which cause the immune system to react and vomitting or diarrhoea occurs.

Now that this method of attack has been found, methods can be developed to combat it.

Lead researcher and PhD student Ms Anukriti Mathur, from The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCMSR) at ANU said; “We found how this bacteria interacts with our immune system. We have discovered how it sustains itself and also how we might treat the nastiness it causes.”

Prevention of food poisoning by correct handwashing, keeping hot food hot, cold food cold and separating raw from cooked is better than cure.

Ms Mathur found the bacteria has “a remarkable ability to secrete toxins” in contaminated food.

Ms Mathur said; “This research could help patients with a compromised immune system. We might be able to save patients by weakening the toxin, or in the case of sepsis, dampening inflammatory responses. It also means we have therapeutic drug options to further support antibiotic therapies, especially in the face of rising antibiotic resistance.”

The following is notice of a food recall from the NSW Food Authority and is included here with permission.

The NSW Food Authority advises:

Moon Dog Brewing Pty Ltd is conducting a recall of the above product. The product has been available for sale at Dan Murphy’s, pubs, clubs, hotels and bottle shops in NSW, ACT, QLD, VIC, TAS, SA and WA.

Product details:

• Son of a Plum Peach n Plum Sour Ale, 330mL bottles
• Best Before 15/08/2019, 16/08/2019 and 06/09/2019

Problem: The recall is due to a packaging fault resulting in the potential for the top to pop open.

Food safety hazard: This product may cause injury.

Country of origin: Australia

What to do: Consumers should not drink this product and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

For further information please contact Moon Dog Brewing Pty Ltd on 03 9428 2307 or visit www.moondogbrewing.com.au

According to the latest research done by Square (a point-of-purchase payments company) and the Specialty Coffee Association the Latte is still the absolute number one type of coffee bought in Australia, although sales of it has decreased 10 percent to 33 percent of total coffee sales since 2016.

The total coffee market is worth $8 billion per year.

The flat white is our number two with 24 percent of total sales and the cappuccino is back with 19 percent nationally, although in New South Wales this long time favourite is the top seller.

The data for the research was gathered from the coffee sold on the Square platform across the country.

The findings also show that it is in NSW that you will find the cheapest coffee, the log black, in the country.

Although milk is still preferred, soy is the number one non-dairy alternative but others are gaining popularity, including; almond, coconut, macadamia and cashew milk

Flavour enhanced coffee was hugely popular and had an 80 percent increase from the previous research, the number one was Matcha.

There is now only one coffee type which on average costs less than $4, the traditional long black.

The number of people using their card  instead of cash to pay for their beverage of choice is now at 54 percent

The cheapest coffee in each state is still the traditional long black — the only coffee that costs less than $4 on average

The majority of consumers (54%) choose to pay with card over cash

In December 2018 the New South Wales Food Authority (NSWFA) successfully prosecuted a company on charges related to both allergen labelling and the company’s recall process.

The company was fined $48,400 and professional costs of $17,034 after the Director pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Food Act 2003.

The company imported a food which was consumed by a child, who has a diagnosed peanut allergy. The translated labelling did not show the presence of peanuts.

The father submitted a complaint to NSWFA and upon investigation the nine charges were laid and the company taken to court.

This case highlights just how important it is that every food of every manufacturer, importer and wholesaler must clearly shown not only every allergen present in that food, but every ingredient.

The NSWFA CEO, Dr Lisa Szabo said; “Food allergies are on the rise and one in ten babies born in Australia today will develop a food allergy.That statistic alone shows how important this issue is for the entire community.”

Every food business is obligated and required to know what allergens are present in their foods and if that food is prepackaged that information must be available for customers, so they can make an informed decision about whether to purchase and consume that food.

So dod you know exactly which allergens are present in your product – and remember that includes the ingredients of your ingredients?

It also reinforces why every food manufacturer, importer, and wholesaler must have  Recall Program in place which meets the requirements of the Recall Protocol and  the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code, and that there be regular mock recalls to test that program.

Dr Szabo said; “We demand a high level of food safety is upheld across the food supply chain because it serves as an important protection measure of public health. Consumers deserve to have confidence in knowing the food they purchase is safe to eat and will cause no harm to them or their family.”

The following is a recall notice from the New South Wales Food Authority and is included here with permission.

The NSW Food Authority advises:

Target Australia Pty Ltd is conducting a recall of the above product. The product has been available for sale at Target Australia Stores including Target Country nationally.

Product details:

• Modern Gourmet Spicy Beer Nuts, 450g, cardboard box with 3 glass bottles
• Keycode: 59394600
• Best Before 03 Jun 2019

Problem: The recall is due to the potential presence of glass fragments.

Hazard: Food products containing glass fragments may cause injury if consumed.

Country of origin: China What to do: Do not consume this product. It is recommended that this product is returned to a Target or Target Country store as soon as possible, where team members will provide you with a full refund.

A receipt is not required to obtain a refund. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

For further information please contact Target’s Customer Support Centre on 1300 753 567 or visit www.target.com.au/help/contact-us