A recent survey by Roy Morgan Research has shown that nearly a third of Australians drinking soy regularly lso drink dairy milk. So it seems that soy is being drunk not just for health reasons but because it is simply another typ of beverage.

The research found that nearly 1.1 million (5.7 percent) Aussies over 14 years old drink at least one soy based drink every week.

Soy seems to be more popular than iced tea, breakfast, energy, and sports drinks with only 5.6 percent drinking energy and sports drinks, and 4.7 percent regularly having breakfast drinks and iced tea.

It is the folk in the Australian Capitol Territory who are the big soy drinkers with 9.3 percent drinking it at least once a week.

Industry Communications Director at Roy Morgan Research, Norman Morris, said; “Many Australians choose to drink soy milk because of the discomfort or adverse reactions dairy products cause them. Consumers interested in health and nutrition are also more inclined to drink soy beverages: for example, people who ‘favour natural medicines and health products’ are more than 50% more likely than the average Aussie to drink soy milk, as are those who ‘look for drinks with added ingredients that are good for my body. However, the fact that almost a third of soy drinkers also consume regular dairy milk suggests that for some people, soy drinks aren’t a lifestyle choice but simply another beverage option. Just as a consumer might drink coffee and hot chocolate, or cola and lemonade, so too might someone vary the kind of milk they consume.”

I remember my Mother often cutting up pineapple and giving it to us kids before a meal. She believes that it stimulates appetite and helps digestion. We just ate it because it was yummy.

So I was really interested to see that research being done at La Trobe University is showing that pineapple may help with the increasing demand for alternatives to antibiotics.

The majority of antibiotics in Australia are not used in humans, but in animals. The antibiotics are added to animal feed as a preventative to maintain health and reduce the likelihood of illness or death.

Any animals or poultry which die before they are slaughtered reduces the income of the farmer, so keeping them healthy is just good business senses.

This means however that the amount of antibioticsbeing used is massive and that reduces their effectiveness against bacteria, as they continue to build up immunity.

So all over the world, scientists are working frantically to find alternatives to antibiotics.

An extract from the stems of pineapples seems to stop gastro and diarrhoea in piglets.

Cutting edge DNA technology is being used by Professor Robert Pike in the research.

Professor Pike said; “We hope this will also open up new avenues for natural treatments of gastro in humans – and stop our strong reliance on antibiotics and the rise of superbugs.”

So are you one of the 1.5 million Aussies who has had a quiet liqueur in the last four weeks?

The latest study from Roy Morgan Research has found that over 6 percent of us, over the age of 18, are regular liqueur drinkers.

More than one third of these people have been drinking one specific type of liqueur in the last 12 month – Baileys Irish Cream.

Interestingly the split of drinkers is relatively even between males and females.

However it is the actual brands that differ between men and women. Bailys, Kahlua, Tia Maria and Frangelico are the big brands for women. Men prefer Sambucca and Jagermeister.

The New South Wales Food Authority maintains a list on it’s website showing all the food businesses in that state which have breaches to the Food Standards Code or the NSW Food Act.

Every week the list is updated and people can check out the site to see if the food business they want to visit has been added to the list. Placement on the list will obviously impact on sales and this is an active encouragement to not have breaches.

The latest list is at See: http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/penalty-n…/default.aspx…

This week more premises were removed from the list than were added.

The rationale behind the list is that public exposure for breaches is a very effective method to prevent such breaches. All businesses who have breached the Code or Act will be required to pay a penalty in all states and territories, but in NSw, these fines are lower as the public exposure is considered a more effective tool.

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

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on whether to permit the sale of food derived from the seeds of low-THC hemp.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said the proposal was prepared after a request from the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (The Forum).

“Based on previous work done in assessing applications for permitting the sale of food derived from low THC hemp, FSANZ considers low-THC hemp seed foods to be safe for human consumption. Moreover, they may provide a useful alternative dietary source of nutrients and polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids.

“The Forum has asked FSANZ to consider a number of additional matters as part of this proposal, including the need to set a cannabidiol limit and policy advice on restricting the marketing and advertising of low-THC hemp as a food. FSANZ has responded to these matters in its call for submissions paper.”

FSANZ welcomes comments from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community.

The closing date for submissions is 25 August 2016.

More information

Information on the proposal

Hemp as a food – consumer web page

How to make a submission

Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand).

The following is from The Bug Bible – http://www.safefood.net.au/AudienceHierarchy/TheBugBible/Default.htm

Many strains of E. coli are harmless and are found naturally in the gut of humans and animals. Traditionally its presence in foods has been an indication of faecal contamination however, a number of serotypes are now known to be pathogens. Humans are known to be the major if not the only source of some strains. Other strains can be present in the intestinal tract of cattle and sheep. They have also been detected in pigs, buffalo, goat, deer and various birds and dogs and cats.

These strains are described by their pathogenicity action:

EIEC Enteroinvasive E coli

ETEC Enterotoxigenic E coli

EPEC Enteropathogenic E coli

EHEC Enterohaemorrhagic E coli

The infective dose varies however, for some serotypes this appears to be very low.

Dairy products, vegetables, salads and contaminated water have all been implicated in human illness.

These organisms may enter the kitchen on raw meats and also from domestic pets. If animal manures are used for fertilization this can also result in the transfer of these organisms to vegetable and fruit tissues. Similarly contaminated water can become a vehicle for transfer of the organism from a faecal source to other foods.

Human and animal faecal material is the primary source and a point of entry of E. coli into the food chain. It is important to note that vegetables and fruits may be contaminated internally and externally. If the organisms attach to the internal tissues during development or through damaged tissue, it is difficult to remove these by washing.

E. coli are not heat resistant and will be destroyed by normal cooking temperatures. Mincing meat increases the surface area and also increases the bacterial load. Therefore, it is very important that mince meat is thoroughly cooked prior to consumption. Improperly cooked hamburgers have been implicated in a number of food poisoning outbreaks.

It is also important to keep foods properly chilled below 5ºC.

Many foods will support the growth of these strains of E. coli. So good hygienic practices should be adopted to minimize the possibility of cross-contamination.

• Obtain food from safe sources and ensure as far as possible that unprocessed animal manures are not used on fruits and vegetables.

• Store perishable foods either chilled or frozen.

• In the refrigerator store cooked foods above raw foods.

• Wash vegetables and fruit well and do not use vegetables and fruits showing obvious tissue damage.

• Cook mince meat to an internal temperature of 75ºC for 2 minutes.

• If cooked food is not eaten immediately cool rapidly to 5ºC.

• Prevent cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods.

The following is from The Bug Bible – http://www.safefood.net.au/AudienceHierarchy/TheBugBible/Default.htm

Many strains of E. coli are harmless and are found naturally in the gut of humans and animals. Traditionally its presence in foods has been an indication of faecal contamination however, a number of serotypes are now known to be pathogens. Humans are known to be the major if not the only source of some strains. Other strains can be present in the intestinal tract of cattle and sheep. They have also been detected in pigs, buffalo, goat, deer and various birds and dogs and cats.

These strains are described by their pathogenicity action:

            EIEC Enteroinvasive E coli

            ETEC Enterotoxigenic E coli

            EPEC Enteropathogenic E coli

            EHEC Enterohaemorrhagic E coli

The infective dose varies however, for some serotypes this appears to be very low.

Dairy products, vegetables, salads and contaminated water have all been implicated in human illness.

These organisms may enter the kitchen on raw meats and also from domestic pets. If animal manures are used for fertilization this can also result in the transfer of these organisms to vegetable and fruit tissues. Similarly contaminated water can become a vehicle for transfer of the organism from a faecal source to other foods.

Human and animal faecal material is the primary source and a point of entry of E. coli into the food chain. It is important to note that vegetables and fruits may be contaminated internally and externally. If the organisms attach to the internal tissues during development or through damaged tissue, it is difficult to remove these by washing.

E. coli are not heat resistant and will be destroyed by normal cooking temperatures. Mincing meat increases the surface area and also increases the bacterial load. Therefore, it is very important that mince meat is thoroughly cooked prior to consumption. Improperly cooked hamburgers have been implicated in a number of food poisoning outbreaks.

It is also important to keep foods properly chilled below 5ºC.

Many foods will support the growth of these strains of E. coli. So good hygienic practices should be adopted to minimize the possibility of cross-contamination.

•         Obtain food from safe sources and ensure as far as possible that unprocessed animal manures are not used on fruits and vegetables.

•         Store perishable foods either chilled or frozen.

•         In the refrigerator store cooked foods above raw foods.

•         Wash vegetables and fruit well and do not use vegetables and fruits showing obvious tissue damage.

•         Cook mince meat to an internal temperature of 75ºC for 2 minutes.

•         If cooked food is not eaten immediately cool rapidly to 5ºC.

•         Prevent cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods.

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

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on whether to permit the sale of food derived from the seeds of low-THC hemp.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said the proposal was prepared after a request from the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (The Forum).

“Based on previous work done in assessing applications for permitting the sale of food derived from low THC hemp, FSANZ considers low-THC hemp seed foods to be safe for human consumption. Moreover, they may provide a useful alternative dietary source of nutrients and polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids.

“The Forum has asked FSANZ to consider a number of additional matters as part of this proposal, including the need to set a cannabidiol limit and policy advice on restricting the marketing and advertising of low-THC hemp as a food. FSANZ has responded to these matters in its call for submissions paper.”

FSANZ welcomes comments from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community.

The closing date for submissions is 25 August 2016.

More information

Information on the proposal

Hemp as a food – consumer web page

How to make a submission

Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand).

The New South Wales Food Authority maintains a list on it’s website showing all the food businesses in that state which have breaches to the Food Standards Code or the NSW Food Act.

Every week the list is updated and people can check out the site to see if the food business they want to visit has been added to the list. Placement on the list will obviously impact on sales and this is an active encouragement to not have breaches.

The latest list is at See: http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/penalty-n…/default.aspx…

This week more premises were removed from the list than were added.

The rationale behind the list is that public exposure for breaches is a very effective method  to prevent such breaches. All businesses who have breached the Code or Act will be required to pay a penalty  in all states and territories, but in NSw, these fines are lower as the public exposure is considered a more effective tool.

So are you one of the 1.5 million Aussies who has had a quiet liqueur in the last four weeks?

The latest study from Roy Morgan Research has found that over 6 percent of us, over the age of 18, are  regular liqueur drinkers.

More than one third of these people have been drinking one specific type of liqueur in the last 12 month – Baileys Irish Cream.

Interestingly the split of drinkers is relatively even between males and females.

However it is the actual brands that differ between men and women. Bailys, Kahlua, Tia Maria and Frangelico are the big brands for women. Men prefer Sambucca and Jagermeister.