The first Foods for Specific Populations Conference will be happening in September. It is recognition of the special food safety and dietary needs for the elderly, young and those with immune system issues, including allergies.

The focus of the conference will be on nutritional issues and will be held in Melbourne.
Aged Care Centres must walk a very fine line of meeting cost pressures whilst also trying to ensure that their residents get the right individual nutrition and have food that satisfies their likes and dislikes. They must also ensure that the food is not only safe for consumption but looks and tastes as it should.

The concept of the greater good is stretched almost daily in these centres, as it has to be remembered that these places are also the residents home and they should be able to eat as they like within their home within their medical constraints.

Families do not understand what is happening behind the scenes in terms of food and the question really is whether they even need to. They should be able to expect that the food their family member receives is safe and meets their specific needs every time and with no hassles or problems.

This is one of the reasons behind this conference, trying to find ways to deliver personalised nutrition whilst meeting all other requirements.

For more information about the conference go to http://www.aifst.asn.au/foods-for-specific-populations.htm

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

Cheese on toast is a food that many of us grew up with as kids and is now a comfort food. It is easy, quick to make and taste pretty good. It can be eaten any time of the day, even late at night.

So who would have thought that there was an actual formula for the perfect Cheese on Toast, or as it is known in the USA “a melted cheese”.

Money has been spent and thorough research (and probably many taste tests!!!!) done in the UK and we now have the exact formula for the perfect cheese on toast.

The tests were broken down into three parts; the grilling, the bread and the cheese, as these are the factors which will determine just how good a cheese on toast can be.

The British Cheese Board in conjunction with The Royal Society of Chemistry ran a series of tests on the grilling conditions, changing just one variable at a time. It was done according to standard scientific testing to ensure the results were valid and repeatable.

The grilling tests were carried out by Ruth Neale, the Science Executive at the Society. Once she had determined the exact cooking requirements for the perfect Cheese on toast, the Secretary of the Society and cheese expert, Nigel White, then used those conditions to test cheeses and breads.

So what is the magic formula?

The final word goes to Ruth, who said; “As the result of tests we carried out in our Chemistry Centre kitchen, we found that the perfect slice can be made by melting 50 g of sliced hard cheese, such as cheddar, on a slice of white bread, 10 mm thick, under the grill. The cheese on toast should sit at a distance of 18 cm from the heat source – which in our grill was at a temperature of 115°C – and needs to cook for four minutes to achieve the perfect consistency and taste.”

It may seem light hearted to some, but this testing to determine the formula for the perfect Cheese on Toast is a simple example of how food science is carried out, and this sort of research is what makes new and improved products every day.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

The most expensive spice in the world is Saffron. Each flower has only three stigmata and it is from these that saffron is produced. The expense of Saffron is due to the fact that each stigma of the Crocus flower has to be individually hand picked.

Each stigma weighs around 2 milligrams and it takes about 250,000 flowers to produce one kilogram of Saffron. This is why Saffron is also known as “Red Gold”.

Saffron is used primarily to colour rice and is used in very small quantities, but can also be used as a flavouring.

With something this expensive, it is inevitable that there will most likely be some form of fraud happening. Therefore there are international standards for flavour, colour and aroma. The international standard ISO 3632 was specifically written to protect and define the purity of Saffron.

Pure Saffron has no external matter added to it and meets the requirements of ISO 3632. The standard has two parts, each detailing the test methods for the three different categories of dried Saffron – powder, filaments and cut filaments.

The standard also sets humidity levels that are to be used in the production of powdered saffron, as higher moisture powder will weigh more and not meet the requirements in the standard for pure Saffron. To maintain the quality of the saffron, the standard even details how all categories must be packed.

Even with the standard in place, there are still people who try to sell impure saffron. In the Journal of Food Science in April 2012 a review was done, that showed Saffron to be one of the seven most fraud prone food ingredients in the world.

There are three grades of Saffron; Sargol (rich red and highest strength), Pushali (red / orange) and Konge (yellowish). Iran is the biggest producer in the world with around 109 tonnes per year.

The current price for a gram of Sargol grade Saffron is approximately $A15.50.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

The implications if food poisoning bacteria develop complete resistant to one or more of the common types of antibiotics is just too frightening to really consider. Therefore there are regular tests of food poisoning bacteria reactions to the common type of antibiotics to determine the level of resistance.

The latest results from the USA have some good news and some not so good.

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a partnership between The Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designed to track the antibiotic resistance of the food poisoning bacteria; Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus and E. coli bacteria.

The latest NARMS report has just been released based on 2011 data, and shows a general trend toward less antibiotic resistance than previously.

The following is a summary of the report;

• Of the non- typhoidal Salmonella collected 85 percent had no resistance to any of the tested antibiotics.
• The Salmonella collected from humans and both slaughtered swine and chickens is at the lowest multi-drug resistance level in the 16 years that NARMS testing has been in place.
• In retail poultry the multi-drug resistance by Salmonella has increased generally since the last testing.
• Over the 16 years of NARMS testing, the resistance by Salmonella to one of the most common antibiotics used in humans (ciprofloxacin) has generally been low – less than three percent.
• Resistance to another important Salmonella antibiotic treatment class, the cephalosporins, has risen between 2008 and 2011.
• Erythromycin, used for treating infections from Campylobacter species, resistance by that bacteria remained at less than four percent.
• When enrofloxacin is used for Campylobacter jejuni, there was a 22 percent resistance, which is a rise of six percent from 2002.
• If tetracycline is used against E.coli in various meats, there were significant levels of resistance (80 percent in ground turkey, 18 percent in ground beef and 47 percent in pork chops).

The report shows both good news and bad, and therefore highlights that more and continual work is needed to find antibiotic alternatives for use in feedlots and animal feed.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

The global monitoring company, Food Sentry, has just released it’s Top Ten Food Safety violators list for 2013.

Thankfully, Australia did not make it onto the top ten list of those exporting countries that had contributed to the 3400 verified food safety incidents in 2013.

The top violator was India with 380 of the 3400 incidents worldwide.

The incidents were those of raw or minimally processed foods that were in contravention of the importing countries food laws, and included; seafood, vegetables, fruits, hers/ spices, meats, dairy, nuts / seeds and grains.

The most common incident, with over a third of the total, was excess or illegal pesticide contamination. Pathogenic contamination was the second highest ranking incident type with22 percent of the total.

The other members of the 2013 Top Ten were; China, Mexico, France, USA, Vietnam, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Turkey and Spain.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

I have eaten chocolate coated ants and they were tangy but delicious. The Indigenous Aboriginals of this country eat Witchety Grubs and there is a cheese in Italy that is only eaten once it’s has been infested with maggots. Insects are a common food in many cultures, but not in Western countries.

It is now well recognised that insects are an excellent source of protein, iron and calcium whilst being low in cholesterol and fat. They also use significantly less water to produce that protein than any other source currently available. So they are good for us and for the environment. According to a recent article in Australian Food News, there are some 40 tonnes of insects for every human on earth, so why aren’t they a key part of all diets around the world? It is simple, westerners just do not see them as food but as “bugs” and getting them to do so is going to be a difficult task.

The European Union (EU) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) are actively encouraging western countries to promote the eating of insects. The EU is offering US$3million to countries to do research into cooking with insects.

The FAO recently released a guide to edible insects, it contains over 2000 insects that can be eaten. The link to the guide is http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/7570860e-1517-520f-aa82-3d23672c9cf8/

A marketing research company, Canadean, asked 2000 UK consumers about eating insects and found that 65 percent of those surveyed would not eat foods made from processed insects.

However if given clear flavour focused descriptions, the percentage of the consumers in the survey who would try insects went to 46. The key is that people need to not see the food as insect based.

Catherine O’Connor, Senior Analyst at Canadean, said; “Processed insects will be an easier sell than products where consumers can see the insects in front of them. To get past the disgust barrier, insect-derived foods must have a strong visual appeal and not be recognisably bug-based.”

The study did show that there was definite interest in trying insects if they are seen as part of a foreign culture and especially by those consumers who are more than willing to try foods from foreign cultures. In other words, if insects are marketed as exciting and part of a new taste experience from a foreign land, they are likely to be eaten by those people looking for an adventure or a change.

Ms O’Connor said; “Overall, these findings show that marketers of insect-derived foods will have to work carefully to convince consumers that insects can be a part of their diet. However, the interest is there, especially among those who are hungry for new and exciting food experiences.”

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

In Australia, the manufacture of cheese (that is not to be cooked) using raw milk is generally not permitted. This is fundamentally due to the risk of food poisoning from Listeria monocytogenes.

This bacteria has the potential to cause spontaneous miscarriages and as such foods that may contain it are either not permitted in this country or are carefully managed to prevent it’s introduction and growth.

Listeria likes cold conditions and enjoys low oxygen environments. As cold temperatures and vacuum packing are two of the barriers used to prevent most food pathogens from growing, managing this bacteria can be a problem.

Raw milk is recognised as a potential source of Listeria and therefore it is not permitted to be sold for human consumption in Australia and many other countries. If this raw milk is then used to make cheese, there is a high likelihood that Listeria and other pathogens will be present. If the cheese is cooked, the Listeria and other pathogens would most likely be killed, so it would be safe for consumption.

There are some people who believe that cheese made from raw milk has more flavour and character. They are trying very hard to get the Code changed. As it is the role of regulators to protect the public, the Code therefore does not permit the use of raw milk in cheese unless that cheese is cooked.

A proposal is before Food Standards Australia New Zealand currently requesting that the use of raw milk be granted for more cheeses and other products. Although a final decision has not yet been made, the lovers of raw milk cheeses may be about to have success in their campaign.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said that, “as long as stringent requirements in the Code are met”, cheeses such as blue or cheddars may potentially be made from raw milk. Mr McCutcheon said; “These (requirements) include additional animal health, milking hygiene and temperature control requirements. Businesses would have to demonstrate to enforcement agencies that they are able to meet the requirements.” The UK regulator, the Food Standards Agency, is also going through a similar process and is awaiting it’s decision until December 2014, when it is expected that the European Food Safety Authority delivers the findings on its own review of the raw milk risks.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

There are fundamentally three reasons why food has to be labelled to help customers, the address legal requirements and to increase sales.

Helping customers

Customers have the legal and moral right to know what is in the food they are buying and eating, so food businesses must give them information to be able to make an informed choice.

Customers want to know; what is in the food, how much is in the package, how to prepare, what nutrients are there for a comparison with other foods, and ideas for how to serve it.

The big thing that many consumers want to know is what food allergens are present in the food.

More and more, customers are also wanting to know just how much of an environmental impact the product has – in other words how “green” it is.

Addressing legal requirements

The Food Standards Code has very clear requirements stated for what is to be shown on food labels and how it is to be presented. These are supported by requirements in other legislation like the Trade Practices Act.

The reason for this legal obligation is to ensure that consumers can make an informed choice and also to level the playing ground between like products.

There are penalties imposed through the Food Acts in each state and territories for non compliance with these requirements. This also includes issues associated with “green washing” – stating green credentials that are not true.

The fundamental premise of all of these requirements is that the statements and information on the package must be the truth or the penalties may be applied.

A further result of non-compliance is the potential for recalls or retrievals, both of which are expensive financially and have the potential to cause irreparable damage to a brand.

Increasing sales

Food businesses want to sell their products to make a profit. Marketing of these products is how this is done.

This marketing includes the what, where, and how of the product’s labels.

The pretty pictures are there to mainly encourage people to buy the product. The colours and design used are specifically determined to maximise the likelihood of a sale now and in the future.

The business spend a lot of money to get the right combination to increase it’s sales, and is why when a design or colour change is made, there is always some form of advertising campaigns to promote it so people will still identify the product.

Business must ensure that both legal and business requirements are met with the product label and it should be checked and double checked to ensure that consumers will interpret it correctly. There was a recent chocolate bar that was imprinted with a specific design and the company has now had to retreive that product due to the shape being misinterpreted badly.

Labels are  a crucial part of any prepackaged product and must be done correctly to meet legal requirements and achieve what both the company and it’s customers need.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

In the last month I joined the throwaway society (for a brief moment) and bought a new phone for my business. I needed to, as my old one now longer did what I needed it to do and so I prowled through the phone shops until I found the one that would work for me.

I now have an old phone that is perfectly fine for others to use with a good battery and all the bits, so what do I do with it? There are a lot of bits in mobile phones that can be reused and / or recycled, so I am not going to just throw it away.

What I was particularly impressed with in my new purchase, is that the manufacturer of my new phone packaged it minimally (with no plastic bags at all) and in a cardboard box that had been made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials. Inside was a post bag for me to send my old phone to a mobile phone recycler, at no cost to me.

This large business can quite rightly say that it is trying to be sustainable, even to the point of encouraging it’s customers to recycle their old phones. It makes it look good and will make people more likely to purchase from it again in the future as it is seen as trying to do the right thing.

So why am I talking about a new phone and what that manufacturer did to be sustainable on this food safety related website?

It is this, food safety is vital and without it in control, we will not have a business. It is really that simple, but food safety cannot be seen in isolation. It is only a part (all be it vital) of what a food business must do, and being sustainable, and being seen to be, is now the new reality of business.

Having a system for how things are done in a business with plans, schedules, procedures, training, monitoring and records will ensure that all these essential things and tasks like food safety and sustainability get done when and how they need to be.

I am doing work for a solicitor at the moment helping them prepare a case to defend a client against some breaches to the Food Standards Code. If that business had not just had checks done and recorded, but a food safety program in place, then they may have not been facing what they now are.

Good food safety is not a shotgun approach with a bit here and a bit there, but it should be done by thinking like a rifle. There should be a clear target and a plan for how to get there, including written methods, training, monitoring and consistent good records.

The company that manufactured my new mobile phone is obviously one that takes the rifle approach, does your food business?

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

A food safety related business in Europe recently ran a survey across several major cities of the world to determine the general perspective that consumers have of food safety and it’s importance.

The results were interesting compared to a similar survey done in 2007 as now more than 67percent of the 5000 people surveyed believed that food safety was essential, compared to only 48 percent seven years ago. The company expects that this figure will rise to at least 71 percent by 2017.

Even though the biggest food poisoning in world history to date was from a vegetable source (E.coli in sprouts), it is meat and poultry that is the biggest concern to consumers. Seafood comes in second, with the fresh produce bringing up third place.

The survey asked questions about what the consumer is expecting that business will be doing to ensure food safety, and the three biggest ways that are expected are working with suppliers, doing ongoing testing and making sure that the labels are correct.

With people now able to get a story about a food poisoning or contamination incident around the world in virtually seconds with their social media connections, there is no opportunity for food businesses to hide any longer if something goes wrong. The recent incident at a quick serve restaurant in the UK when a customer found a coated and deep fried cleaning cloth instead of a piece of chicken, and how it was all over Facebook, is just an example.

People are becoming more aware of food safety and are more than happy to tell everyone around the world if it isn’t right.

The company made a great little animated video showing the results of the survey. It obviously also includes a bit of PR for the company. You can find it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaSBm21SMsU

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.