The following are two current food product recalls and the information is included here with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand. More information about recalls and other food issues can be found at www.foodstandards.gov.au

COLES BEEF BURGERS

Coles Supermarkets Limited has recalled Coles Burgers Thick Beef 500g from Coles and BI-LO supermarkets in NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS and VIC. The recall is due to the presence of an undeclared allergen (gluten). The product has been labelled gluten free. Consumers who have a gluten allergy or intolerance should not eat this product and may have a reaction if the product is consumed. Customers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ – 6/02/2014

Food type – Fresh beef patties from the meat section

Product name – Coles Burgers Thick Beef

Package description and size – MAP packed tray sealed product – 500g

Date marking – Best Before 17.02.14

Country of origin – Australia

Reason for recall – The presence of an undeclared allergen (gluten). The product has been labelled gluten free.

Distribution – Coles and BI-LO supermarkets in NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS and VIC.

Consumer advice – Consumers who have a gluten allergy or intolerance should not eat this product and may have a reaction if the product is consumed. Customers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Contact – Coles Supermarkets Limited – 1800 061 562 – www.coles.com.au

BERRI PRIMA TROPICOOL TWIRLER FRUIT DRINK

Lion Dairy and Drinks has recalled Berri Prima Tropicool Twirler (6x200ml pack) from supermarkets nationally. The recall is due to the suspected presence of a spoilage organism that is causing an unusual smell and taste in the product. The product may also cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, in some consumers. Consumers should not eat this product and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ – 7/02/2014

Food type – Fruit juice drink (6x200ml) UHT pack

Product name – Berri Prima Tropicool Twirler

Package description and size – Multi pack fruit juice drink (6x200ml) UHT product

Date marking – All Best Before dates from 06 DEC 14 up to and including 20 DEC 14

Country of origin – Australia

Reason for recall – Microbial (suspected spoilage bacteria)

Distribution – Nationally via Woolworths, Coles/BI-LO, Metcash/IGA, Franklins, Spar, Supabarn and other independent grocery stores.

Consumer advice – The product may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, in some consumers. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice. Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Contact – LION Consumer Enquiry Centre on 1800 677 852 – www.lionco.com

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

Scombroid poisoning is caused by the eating of specific types of fish that have been temperature abused, which causes allergic reaction symptoms.

Symptoms – typical allergy symptoms, eg; tingling / burning around the mouth, flushes of the face, nausea, vomiting, headaches, fever, palpitations

Onset – depending upon the individual – two minutes to several hours

Duration – depending upon the individual – several hours to several days

Cause – specific fish types not being kept at less than 5°C (41° F) after catching, allow bacteria present to work on the flesh and produce histamines. These cause the allergic reaction.

Treatment – most will not need but depending upon the individual antihistamines and other support may be required.

Likelihood – not common

Prevention

• Keep fish (and other potentially hazardous foods) below 5°C (41° F)
• Only buy from reputable businesses
• Only buy good looking quality fish
• Cooking does not destroy the histamines

A video explain the causes and prevention of Scombroid poisoning can be seen here 

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

Good chocolate is like good cheese or good wine or a good hot dog or even the perfect pizza.

We all have our own ideas what they are but there are some basics that we would all agree with and this is why we have competitions and awards for the best.

I am a home cheesemaker and know what a good vintage should be like, but I am not a cheese judge and wouldn’t even think about doing so. However those that are, rely on their sense of taste, smell, and sight to determine which is the best cheese.

The same applies to good chocolate. Up until now, it has been entirely dependent upon the skill and knowledge of the judge / taster as to which is the good stuff, and which is not.

Connoisseurs of chocolate, and the other gourmet foods, pay large amounts of money for the privilege of eating it. Their expectation is that the product inside the pack meets their ideals, as well as what is written on the label.

It is only recently that a suitable test has been developed that will allow people to know that the quality of the cacao beans going into the specific product are what the label says and are the highest quality. The test is able to confirm both the variety and origin of the beans used in the chocolate.

Genetic testing has been available for cereals, fruits, tea and coffee for some time, but it could not be used for cacao beans. This new test overcomes this problem.

The test involves identifying a specific set of DNA Markers which comprise the cacao bean species unique “fingerprints”.

The test is important as there has been a tendency by some low moral businesses to blend lower quality beans in with the premium cacao to increase profits. This new test will prevent this from occurring in future, and give those of us that love good chocolate, the confidence of knowing that we are eating only the good stuff.

For more information about the research, look at American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

AUSVEG, the peak representative body for vegetable and potato growers in Australia, has just released the results of a recent study. The study was intended to show what cuisines have been adopted by Australians that use vegetables as a key component. This would then give growers ideas for what vegetables they should focus on, as some vegetables are specific to certain cuisines.

The research was funded by both Horticulture Australia Limited, using the National Vegetable Levy, and the Australian Government.

Those taking part in the research were asked what cuisines they had incorporated into their cooking over the last five years which used fresh vegetables as one of the components.

Andrew White, Manager of Industry Development and Communications at AUSVEG, said; “Asian cuisines, specifically Chinese and Thai, were the most common addition to consumers’ cooking repertoire over the past five years. Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisines were more likely to be adopted by older consumers over 45 years of age, whereas Thai, Mexican and French were more frequently adopted by younger consumers between 18 and 24 years of age.”

The study showed that the top 10 cuisines added to the Australian home cooking were;

1. Chinese (44 per cent of those surveyed)
2. Thai (35 per cent)
3. Italian (29 per cent)
4. Indian (23 per cent)
5. Mexican (19 per cent)
6. Vietnamese (16 per cent)
7. Greek (16 per cent)
8. Middle Eastern (13 per cent)
9. Japanese (10 per cent)
10. French (7 per cent)

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

It is well recognised that honey is the only food that will not spoil. It does candy, but when heated will return to it’s thick liquid state.

It is also often considered to be antibacterial by many. However. two baby boys in Britain are currently fighting cases of Botulism potentially caused by eating honey.

The bacteria causing Botulism is called Clostridium botulinum and is an anaerobe. This means it grows in oxygen deprived environments, this makes honey a perfect source for this bacteria.

Botulism has a mortality rate of at least 33 percent in healthy adults. This means that if three healthy adults were to contract the disease, one of them will not survive. In the high risks groups, including babies, this rate is much higher due to the immune system not being as strong as in healthy adults. This makes Clostridium botulinum one of the most dangerous of all the food poisoning bacteria.

The bacteria produces a toxin which acts in much the same way as one of the types of snake venom, and impacts the heart and lungs, eventually causing them to shut down.

The baby boys were on life support machines, and have been cured but the medication had to be flown from the USA with a cost of £50 000 per dose. Their full recovery may take as much as half a year.

This food poisoning incident once again reinforces the message of health authorities around the world that infants under one should not be fed honey as their immune system is not yet strong enough. Interestingly, only one of the boys actually ate honey, the other was given a homeopathic treatment that contained honey.

There has not been a human case of botulism in Australia in more than 20 years due to the tight food law we have for handling, processing and packing the types of foods that are prone to allow C.botulinum growth. A small amount of the bacteria are kept in selected secure laboratories around the whole to confirm cases if they occur.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

Chinese New Year is at the end of January this year. It will be ushered in around the world in the usual fashion. This includes wearing red and huge traditional celebration feasts. Chicken will as always be a big part of these meals.

Many of these meals will not happen in big restaurants, but in family homes and the chickens may have been slaughtered there and then. This is especially true within China, where there are many opportunities for cross infection with live chickens.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) is particularly concerned this year as this number of cases of Avian Influenza has been increasing in China. With slaughter being done at home the chance of people contracting the virus is probably higher at this time of the year than at any other.

Many would recognise H5N1as Avian “Flu” but there are other species, including H7N9, that are also an issue, although not as pathogenic.

It seems that the increase in cases coincides with the cooler months and as China is now in winter, it is expected that the increase will only continue and possibly become an issue for neighbouring countries.

FAO Chief Veterinary Officer, Juan Lubroth said; “Chinese authorities are enforcing important measures to reduce the risk of human exposure to the A(H7N9) virus. This includes temporary closure of live bird markets, regular market rest days, improved hygiene in markets, heightened and ongoing surveillance in poultry and live bird market environment, and control of poultry movements.”

The dilemma faced by authorities is that there is strong evidence of bird to human transmission and the birds show no clinical signs.

Australia had a “bird flu” event late in 2013, which resulted in a prediction of an egg shortage in New South Wales (NSW) up to Christmas. Two poultry farms in NSW were found to have avian influenza infected birds and were quarantined. The Outbreak was determined to be eradicated with an announcement made on 10 January 2014, and restrictions were lifted on the properties.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

Ultra violet (UV) light is starting to become common in the food industry.

It has long been known that a wound exposed to sunlight will heal more quickly with less chance of infection that any that are kept covered.

This is because UV light has a germicidal effect on many micro-organisms, including the food poisoning bacteria. The range of the light has a killing effect on bacteria, and so it is an excellent way to sanitise and sterilise.

So it is not surprising in an age where many companies are trying to find ways to reduce the use of chemicals in their business, due to costs and environmental factors, that a UV light is now becoming a common piece of equipment in many businesses.

There are different types and forms, but all have the ability to significantly reduce the bacterial content of foods and the bacterial load on contact surfaces.

A catering company has approached me recently about the viability of using UV Lights as their sanitising for all food contact surfaces, instead of the traditional approach of chemical santisers. This is not uncommon. In manufacturing these lights can be fitted into pipes as well as into conveyor lines to sterilize food.

It is not yet technology that is seen in all plants and businesses, but it will certainly be a technique that will have it’s place with chemical sanitisers, and heat as an option that can be used by food businesses of all sizes and types to ensure food safety.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach

One of Australia’s largest pizza chains has just released a brand new pizza product. It is the “most indulgent” product it has ever had. The Wagyu Duet is actually two pizzas loaded with Wagyu containing beef products, truffles and camembert cheese, amongst other yummy items. It is selling for $50, making it the single most expensive items on the company’s menu. Apparently it can feed four people easily for around $14 each, making it an affordable treat.

But what is the big deal about this Wagyu thing anyway, and why is a pizza company able to charge this high price for a product containing it?

The fat in Wagyu beef is unique because it is monounsaturated, meaning it is good for us.

The best Wagyu beef has this fat distributed through the muscle in a marble pattern. This makes the meat very tasty and easy to eat. To achieve this effect, the cattle must be grain fed well and for at least 500 days. This compares to the usual of around 150 days for other cattle breeds. The use of so much grain for the Wagyu cattle is partly why Wagyu meat is so much more expensive than other breeds. This will only increase as grain prices increase.

The better the muscle colour and quality fat distribution through the muscle, the higher the Marble Score. The score goes from 1 to 12, although the 12 rating is only ever seen in Japan, the home of Wagyu.

In Australia, the maximum current Marble Score can only be a 9+. Good Wagyu will be rated with a Marble Score between 6 and 9+.

There are several Wagyu breeds, but many consider the Tajima to produce the best meat. The Japanese allowed the Wagyu to be exported out of the country in 1993, but this has since been stopped, so that the purity of the bloodlines can be protected.

In Australia, a Wagyu animal is typically bred with a local cattle breed to produce offspring that have a high marble score as well as be able to grow in our specific conditions. Australia Blackmore (which was started by the original Australian importer) is considered to be one of the best Wagyu labels in the world, outside of Japan, and with our National Livestock Identification Scheme, this is a high achievement for Australia.

So this meat is from special animals that require special care and feeding. Although this is a good part of the higher price that we pay for this product, it is the reputation that really drives the price. This is the reason why this pizza company can charge $50 for their new Wagyu product.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

So sustainability is all about being “green” right?

No, it is about a business doing the right thing by; it’s staff, it’s customers, it’s suppliers, it’s neighbours, it’s community and the business itself, all whilst looking to the future.

The new promotion being done by Coles is a classic example of sustainability. This is a great example of a business working on each part of the Triple Bottom Line. Without profit, a business won’t grow and unless a business focusses on it’s customers, it won’t make profit and unless a business does the right thing by the environment it will not make customers happy.

By only sourcing chickens from RSPCA approved sites and then heavily promoting it, Coles is making it’s customers happy and this will logically increase sales and then profits.

Although there is a genuine desire by the company to do the right thing by the chickens, the driving force is that by doing so, it makes Coles look really good, which increases customer happiness and profits go up.

It is without doubt one of the best examples of business sustainability around right now and shows how with planning and passion any business can do the right thing and increase it’s profits at the same time.

However, the cynical response to the whole situation could be – why weren’t the sites already RSPCA approved, what was happening before this? Is it like the whole permeate added to the milk promotion, which was fundamentally done to increase sales of branded milks? Permeate is a natural part of milk and is added back into certain milks to ensure they meet legal requirements for things like protein levels. It is not a bad thing and, unlike the implication of the promotion, is not a chemical added to some milks.

It is vital that any business must ensure that the actions being taken are genuine and that “greenwashing” is not happening, just to increase sales.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

The end of one year and the start of another inevitably has us reviewing and predicting. I came across an interesting review and set of prediction by The Daily Meal that is worth having a look at.

Although the review of food in 2013 and the predictions for this new year are based on the American scene, there are certainly some trends that are potentially of interest here as well.

Review

Eggs are now being used in all sorts of foods as whole or part eggs, this is a concern when you consider that this food is still the main source of food poisoning in Australia.

The other two foods or issues that were big in the US last year were the use of bee from urban sources. There are restaurants in the US that now have hives in their cities and are using the honey from them. The issue that jumps out as a potential problem for restaurant goers is the charging for the nibbly bread prior to the meal.

Predictions

The following foods are expected to increase in availability and use;

• Upscale Mexican
• Upscale and regional Italian
• Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)
• Small plate desserts – so people can have more than one and not feel guilty
• Use of non beef meats in Tartare dishes, including pork – this is a concern from a food safety point of view
• Spicy foods – really hot

There is also expected to be a much stronger interest in whiskies and rums. This is most likely going to produce a lot of micro-distilleries with a focus on flavoured whisky and rum.

There are two trends that are directly related to sustainability and will most likely only increase year on year. The first is the use of invasive species in restaurants, so fish and weed species that are environmental issues will be used in restaurants to encourage people to harvest them and therefore reduce their environmental impact. The other sustainable trend is the use of produce directly from Chef owned farms. This reduces a lot of costs associated with produce from farms and sets very clear quality standards. However, the Chefs need to remember that they are not farmers and should have professionals doing that job to ensure that all legal requirements are met.

One trend is indeed a food safety worry and that is the increase in the food preparation method of Sous Vide in homes. This method involves the placing of meats etc into special bags and cooking them in water. There is the potential for the product to not be fully cooked and when combined with the low oxygen environment, food safety can be a concern if not done properly.

It will be interesting to see which if any of these expected trends come to fruition.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.