We all know that to be healthy we should eat the right amount of fruit and vegetables and that we should enjoy a variety of foods, and that a little bit of everything is good and a lot of any single food is bad. We have all heard these sayings and recommendations and, without realising it, they and other related health recommendations do influence how we buy food and eat it.

However, we may have these recommendations and beliefs in the back of our minds when we purchase and eat, but it is our perceptions that decide for us. The thing about perception is it is individual, but can be influenced by media, what we hear and what we see, as well as how and where we were brought up.

There are some foods out there that people perceive to be good for them when compared to others in that group, and we are just wrong. A really good example is vegetable chips. Potato chips are generally fried to get the crispiness and then the flavour is added. With vegetable chips the process is much the same, but because they are vegetables and sold in the health food section of the supermarket, the general perception is that they are better for us.

Muffins are a wonderful treat and many believe that they are better for you that many other related foods. The truth is that they are basically just small cakes and the blueberries and other fruit makes little difference. It is just perception and the reality is that the really big muffins can increase your calorie intake for the day by around 600 calories.

We now know that having regular probiotic bacteria in our diet is good for us and there are now many foods that will help us achieve this. However the perception that frozen yoghurt will always do this is not necessarily so, as some of the bacteria added to some of these products will not even survive the freezing, so have no benefit to us.

These are just three examples of foods that have the “halo effect” and because of our perceptions make us think that they are always healthy and better for us.

There is a very true saying that “we eat with our eyes” and this is what helps develop our perception. When I was a university studying taste panels as part of my Food Technology degree, we ran a session using vension. It was sliced exactly the same size and was cooked identically, however when put under a blue light, it was found to be unacceptable compared to standard room lighting. The panellists were eating with their eyes and allowing their perceptions to decide on the quality of the food.

When we are preparing or serving food for customers we absolutely need to consider perception in our work. A single hair in a food will stop that customer, and at least 10 people they know, from ever eating at your place or your food ever again. It may have been an accident or even have blown in from outside, or even be the customer’s own hair, but it was in your food and the perception is now that your place is dirty, regardless of how good your food safety is.

See, perception is everything

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

When I was at University, I had to try different foods in one class. I still remember eating chocolate coated ants. They were actually very tasty, sort of chocolate with a bit of an acid bite.

Eating of insects is not done in most western countries, it is, in fact, almost a sort of taboo for most people in these countries. People still look amazed, and with some distaste, when I tell them about the chocolate covered ants.

Insects are commonly eaten in Asian, African and South American countries and form an important part of the nutritional intake for those people. According to a guide (“Edible insects; future prospects for food and food security”) recently published by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), at least two billion people eat insects daily around the world. Beetles are the most popular but other insects are also part of the diet. They are served in multiple ways, including; whole, ground to a paste or in other foods.

Insects have high levels of protein, fat, fibre and minerals. It simply makes nutritional sense to have them as a food source. They also are a much better food source from an environmental perspective than the animals we currently consume.

Insects use far less water and land to produce them and with similar nutritional benefits. It simply makes sense on all levels to include them in our diets.

So why aren’t we all sitting down to a plate full tonight? It is because the idea of eating insects has to be sold to those of us in the west and this will take time. There are already restaurants in Australia doing insects as part of their menu but this is far from being in the mainstream.

There is a saying “it will happen, but not overnight”. Things like food safety and related issues need to be considered as well, as this inevitable food source becomes commonplace in our homes.

Someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, it will not be unusual to hear ”do you want beetles with that?”

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

The whole “free range” or not thing has been raised again, this time in NSW by the consumer group CHOICE.

Producing eggs in a free range manner is more expensive than using the traditional cage approach. This is due to higher losses and less controls being in place, so less systemisation. So in the supermarket, Free Range labelled eggs will have a higher price tag. Consumers generally understand that there will be a slight price increase to be able to have this choice and accept it, but it should not be a ridiculous increase.

However the problem is that if producers are packing and labelling caged eggs as free range, and charging accordingly, this is just plain wrong. It is also against the law to claim that a product is something that it is not, and even worse to make money from that untruth.

CHOICE has just asked NSW Fair Trading to do an investigation in this type of situation. The group has provided evidence that this situation is currently happening in NSW and that it “appear to be a major rip-off for consumers”.

The difficulty in this investigation will be around the actual definition of free range.

This has been ongoing for years and will continue until there is a national agreed definition. Once that is determined and accepted, the labelling of these eggs will be consistent and the ability of authorities to investigate and prosecute those breaking the law will be much easier.

The definition will involve setting out the number of birds in a specific area as well as other conditions. It will also have to work for each state, egg producing representative group (like the Australian Egg Corporation), and consumer group. Ultimately the consumer may not even fully understand what the final definition actually means, but as long as producers follow it and label accordingly, it will not really be an issue.

There is a model code definition but since it’s development various states have implemented other requirements, until we now have no nationally agreed definition, and this will continue to create the current NSW situation as well as in other places.

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

I remember when I was a kid growing up in the north of Tasmania, dinner usually involved a meat of some type and three vegetables. The vegetables were always potato, carrots and something else. Sometimes we would have peas, beans, corn, cabbage, cauliflower or even brussel sprouts (they were definitely not a favourite on my plate).

The interesting thing is that regardless of what other vegetables were happening, there was always potato (in different forms) and boiled carrots.

Now 40 years later (and it was weird writing that!!!), carrots are still big when it comes to dinner in this country. In August AusVeg commissioned a survey to be done to determine what vegetables we are purchasing.

It found that 94 percent of the 800 consumers surveyed had purchased carrots, making it the number one vegetable purchased.

However, as the survey only asked consumers and did not consider the food industry, potatoes were not found to be the highest purchase. When the chips and other products in restaurants, cafes and other food businesses are taken into consideration, it is widely recognised that potatoes are the main vegetable crop in this country.

This is a monthly survey and will be run over the next three years.

The top 10 vegetables purchased in august 2013 were;

• tomatoes – 92 per cent
• potatoes – 83 per cent
• broccoli – 80 per cent
• cauliflower – 79 per cent
• celery – 78 per cent
• capsicums – 76 per cent
• white onion – 76 per cent
• cabbage – 74 per cent
• zucchini – 74 per cent

The choice of vegetable is personal but it definitely includes the belief that some are healthier than others. Carrots are believed to be good for the eyes and are easy to handle, making it a popular vegetable across time

Andrew White, AusVeg Manager of Industry Development and Communications, said; “This consumer research provides valuable insights to the Australian vegetable industry that will assist growers in understanding consumer’s preferences over a three-year period. Insights include not only which vegetables are being purchased the most, but also what the triggers and barriers to purchase are and how these might be overcome in order to see growth in purchasing.”

My family would never have had zucchini, broccoli or capsicum on our dinner plates back when I was a kid, but these vegetables are a regular part of meals in my house now. Times change but some things like potatoes and carrots will always be important to us, but it is interesting to see that even now brussel sprouts don’t make the popular list.

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

Roy Morgan research shows that people are buying less cheese and that this downward trend is continuing from previous years.

According to the findings, 89 percent of those grocery buyers surveyed had bought cheese during the 12 months to March 2013, compared to 92 percent for the 12 months to 2009.

It is the young buyers under 35 years old where the biggest difference is being made, with a decrease of six percent since 2009. Although 85 percent of this age group are still purchasing cheese, although much less block, sliced and soft types than previously.

The research findings show that the younger group are purchasing less cheese for health reasons, and this also applies to other dairy foods with some saying in the study that they “avoid dairy foods whenever possible”. There is however, still a large proportion choosing to purchase cheese and other dairy foods to get enough calcium in their diets.

Angela Smith, Group Account Manager Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research, said; “… interesting to see is how different kinds of cheese have sold over the last five years. Block cheese, sliced cheese and soft cheese (for example, Brie and Camembert) have lost the most ground, with only cheese snacks and ricotta or cottage cheese remaining stable.”

The reduction in sales of the soft cheeses may well be linked to increasing concerns about the food safety issues that can be associated with them.

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

Although, according to recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) beer has the lowest consumption in 66 years, it still makes up around 41 percent of the pure alcohol market. Wine now makes up nearly 38 percent, so we are becoming a nation that is starting to prefer wine to beer.

This is a dramatic change in taste for this country, with beer consumption down by 2.3 percent in 2011-12 (compared to 2010-11) and wine increasing by 1.9 percent..

Spirits make up nearly 13 percent and the ready to drink beverages are currently at around seven percent of the pure alcohol market. Cider is now increasing as well and is now at nearly two percent of the market.

The figures also have another really interesting result, as a country our consumption of alcohol has decreased for the second year in a row with a 0.8 percent drop in 2011-12.This means that per capita we are consuming 10.1 litres of pure alcohol per person per year, which works out to be an average of 2.2 standard drinks each per day (for people 15 years and older).

The data for this information comes not from actual consumption but supply figures, so may be a slight over estimation due to waste and use of alcohol for cooking and other purposes.

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

The recent Fine Food Exhibition in Sydney once again saw the presentation of hundreds of pies from across Australia in competition for recognition as the Best Pie for 2013.

Western Australia did very well this year, with not only the Plain Meat Pie winner, but the runner up for the Plain Meat Pie as well, and also four of the eight category winners.

This was the 24th Official Great Aussie Pie Competition and was judged over four days.

The Overall Gourmet Pie was the Seafood Marina by Bremen Patisserie in Umina. The overall Plain meat Pie winner was by Bread Provisions from Wangara, Western Australia, with the runner up from the Denmark Bakery, in Denmark, Western Australia

Other winners include:

Gourmet Game Category Winner

Crocodile Pie – Blackbutt Bakery, Blackbutt, QLD

Gourmet Poultry Category Winner

Sweet Thai Chicken – LA Bakehouse Cafe (High St Pies,) Penrith NSW

Gourmet Vegetarian Category Winner

Ratatouille Gourmet Veg – Pinjarra Bakery & Patisserie, Pinjarra WA

Gourmet Red Meat Category Winner

Rogan Josh – The Miami Bakehouse, Mandurah WA

Gourmet Gluten Free Category Winner

Cheese Cauliflower & Broccoli – Baked in the Peninsula, Sorrento VIC

Gourmet Apple Category Winner

Four Seasons Patisserie Bakery, Kelmscott WA

Gourmet Brekkie Pie Category Winner

Big Brekkie Pie – Rolling Pin Pies & Cakes, Ocean Grove, VIC

Cerebos Asian Gourmet Winner

Thai Spiced Chicken – Denmark Bakery, Denmark WA

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

Whilst most people would immediately say that it is poultry or meat that causes the most food poisoning, in Australia, eggs continue to be the main food source for food poisoning.

Two recent incidents in New South Wales have highlighted the importance of not using raw eggs in foods that will not then be cooked before consumption.

The following is a summary of the two food poisoning incidents from www.health.gov.au

Deep fried ice cream

• S. Typhimurium, three family groups at the same restaurant, 12 of 15 people becoming ill after consuming deep fried ice-cream.
• This restaurant was investigated in March 2012 following an outbreak of the same strain associated with the consumption of a raw egg dessert.
• Another 5 cases from a group of 49 who had eaten at the same restaurant as the outbreak above, but on a separate date. All those who were ill had eaten deep fried ice-cream.
• The outbreak strain was isolated from a sample of uncooked deep fried ice-cream taken from the premises (raw egg batter).
• NSWFA (New South Wales Food Authority) issued a Prohibition Order, prohibiting the use of raw and minimally cooked eggs/egg products.

Bakery items

• S. Typhimurium, 27 cases linked to a single bakery.
• Bakery was also supplied with eggs from the egg farm implicated in the restaurant outbreaks above.
• A NSWFA inspection of the bakery resulted in the outbreak strain being isolated from swabs/samples of re-usable piping bags, machine nozzles and freshly whipped cream.
• The business is now using only disposable piping bags
• No further cases reported.

From www.health.gov.au

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

Have just seen an advertisement on TV, which just makes me very angry. It annoys me when a business uses what is not legally allowed in their product as the basis for an ad instead of promoting the benefits and hints that it is the only one doing the right thing. In this case it is a long life milk and the advertising company decided to use the required legal absence of preservatives as the basis for a very emotive and inflammatory advertisement.

A young girl, glowing bright green, is seen in various situations where she is obviously being shunned by those around her. It ends with a picture of her on a park bench and the words “preservatives have consequences” across the top.

Businesses working in the food industry are obviously trying to make money and the vast majority follow the rules and aim to make a product that is safe for the consumer and makes them happy to buy again. There are cowboys but they are in the minority. The media generally portrays food businesses and the industry in general as baddies only interested in making money.

This ad only promotes this negative view of the industry that employs more Australians than any other and it is not highlighting the good things of the product but the fact that it does not contain preservatives. The thing is that none of the long life milks are allowed to contain preservatives and if the process and packaging are right, there is no need for them.

Why a well known brand allowed this ad to go to air is beyond rationale explanation and it would not be surprising if it is pulled from our screens very quickly. It is sneaky and not going to help the product sales in the long run.

So the marketing question is this – is it acceptable to hint in an ad that it is only your product that does not contain something that causes concern to the public, when in fact none of that product type are allowed to contain it?

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

Norovirus is a virus that causes gastrointestinal issues and is not killed by antibiotics. The symptoms last around three days in a healthy adult and may be longer and more serious in the High Risk Groups.

It is a huge problem in the US and is regularly the most common cause of food poisoning in that country.

It is increasingly an issue in Australia and is now being seen as an issue in the aged care industry. Although Salmonella is perhaps the biggest cause of food poisoning in this industry, Norovirus is becoming more commonly the reason for these centres to be in Lockdown.

It is a pathogen that is regularly associated with winter and early spring, so it is not surprising that we have at least 100 cases currently in an outbreak in South east Queensland.

The following are some ways of controlling or preventing Norovirus being a problem in food businesses;

• Wash hands carefully with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and changing nappies and always before eating or preparing food.
• Wash fruits and vegetables (potentially in a chlorine based wash), and cook all shellfish thoroughly before eating.
• People who are infected with Norovirus should never prepare food for others as long as they have symptoms and until three days after recovering from illness.
• After an episode of any food borne illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces with food grade cleaners and sanitisers
• Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or faecal matter. Use food grade detergent and wash at the maximum available cycle length and then machine dry.

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