The following is a media release from the Food safety Information Council and is included here with it’s permission.

The Australian Food Safety Information Council today released a national survey that shows on warm days 8% of workers who take a packed lunch make no attempt to keep their packed lunches cool. Of even more concern, 20% of those with children who take a packed lunch to school don’t provide their children with a frozen drink or ice brick to help keep their packed lunch cool.

Council Chairman, Dr Michael Eyles, says that this could be a major food poisoning risk as 79% of adult Australian workers say they take a packed lunch and almost all of households with children say their children have a packed lunch.

‘Packing a lunch for yourself or your child is a healthy and cost effective option. However food poisoning bacteria can grow quickly during hot weather and in the healthier foods, such as salad and cold meat, that we pack for lunch these days,’ Dr Eyles says.

‘You can reduce your risk of food poisoning by simply packing a frozen juice box, water bottle or commercial ice pack with the lunch. Place perishable foods such as cheeses and sandwiches between the frozen items. Leave food refrigerated until just before you leave home.

‘Children’s lunchboxes kept inside the school bag will keep cooler longer especially if the bag is kept away from heat sources such as direct sunlight. There is no need to refrigerate school lunches if they are stored with a frozen drink.

‘Adults should store their lunches in a workplace fridge or cooler bag or esky. Remember to continue to do this in cooler weather as heating in buildings can also raise the temperature.

‘Employers can assist by making refrigerators and coolers available and ensuring a workplace roster for keeping fridges and kitchens clean. They can also supply pens and labels for people to label their food with name and date. Handwashing and drying facilities should be made available in kitchens and handwashing posters put up. This could lead to a reduction in sick leave, not just from food poisoning but also viruses such as colds and flu.

‘Other key lunchbox tips are to ensure you prepare food with well washed hands and utensils and always wash your hands before eating lunch. If you are reheating leftovers ensure they are heated all the way through until steaming hot. Lunchboxes and reusable drink bottles must be thoroughly washed and dried daily. If cracked, split or crazed, replace as bugs will grow in any cracks.

‘Throw out any leftovers that haven’t been refrigerated. If you or your child has food poisoning don’t go to work or school, and avoid handling food for others for 48 hours after symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea stop. If food poisoning symptoms persist, visit a doctor,’ Dr Eyles concludes.

The national survey by Newspoll found:

• Four in every five Australian workers (79%) say they have a packed lunch, with skews toward females, those aged under 50, and those with a college education or an apprenticeship.

• Among those that do take a packed lunch to work a large majority of 77% say that on warm days they store their lunch in a refrigerator at work, and around half say they their lunch is stored in cooler bag or esky.

• There is some overlap between the two – suggesting that some of those who are putting their lunch in a fridge are using other methods to keep their lunch cool on the way to or from work, or when they are out of the office.

• Overall more than 9 in 10 who have a packed lunch (92%) use one of these approaches to keep their lunches cool on warm days. Men and those living outside of Queensland / NT are the most likely to fall down in this area.

• Almost all of those with children in their household say those children have a packed lunch. While most say that on warm days their children have a frozen drink or ice brick to help keep their packed lunch cool, 1 in 5 say this is not the case.

• Those living in the major capital cities appear to be the worst offenders when it comes to keeping children’s lunches cool, with 24% in these areas saying they don’t do this compared with 12% in the regional and rural areas.

Food poisoning results, on average, in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, 300,000 prescriptions for antibiotics, and 2.1 million days of lost work each year. The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion.

CONTACT: Juliana Madden, Food Safety Information Council Executive Officer: 0407 626 688 www.foodsafety.asn.au

It is not easy to export food from Australia. This is because we have some of the toughest food regulations in the world. It is the maintenance of these regulations that has given Australia a well earned reputation as one of the best food producers globally.

There are however a lot of regulations that businesses must meet to be able send and sell their food overseas and this can stop some from pursuing this potential; source of profit.

Recently the Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) announced significant changes to these regulations to try make it easier for food exporters. However, it is a fine line that is being walked – trying to encourage business without impacting on our reputation and food safety. The changes will be for both food and agricultural exports.

The service models have been developed for all food export commodities, including meat, fish, dairy, grain, horticulture and live animal, and have taken two years of consultation with all stakeholders.

The models will be phased in over 2012 for all the industries.

Greg Read, DAFF’s Food Division secretary said, “These reforms will enhance Australia’s already world-class export certification system. Overall, agricultural export reform will secure and improve market access and position Australia’s inspection and certification processes at the forefront of export industries worldwide.”

During 2011, as the result of footage seen on national television, the Australian Government banned live cattle exports to Indonesia for about two months.

The footage showed cattle being very badly treated and, in fact, abused. It also showed inhumane conditions in abattoirs in that country. There was an immediate and widespread public outcry. Talkback shows on radio went into overdrive as people rang to share their opinions about what they had seen. The Federal Government reacted swiftly by stopping all live cattle exports in the short term.

This cost an important industry, in Northern Australia, an enormous amount of money in lost sales and the expenses of keeping animals that had been set for transport. There were even reports of farmers not being able to sustain the expense of holding the cattle and planning toward slaughtering them.

There were very loud demands by certain groups to stop the live export permanently.

Unfortunately, this is not a viable option as this market needs to have the animals slaughtered in the country rather than meat sent over. Indonesia is predominantly a Moslem country and this requires that slaughter be done according to Halal practices. The Halal method used in Australia does not meet the standard expected in that country, as our slaughter process includes stunning, which is not done in Indonesia.

A further reason for requiring freshly killed meat is that there is much less refrigeration in Indonesia and therefore there is limited capacity to store meat.

Unfortunately, to get the live animals to Indonesia involves loading them onto ships and transporting across the ocean. This does cause the animals stress. However, the farmers and transport companies have the care of the animals as their absolute priority, as they lose money for each animal that arrive dead or in poor condition.

After a review by the Australian Government and the establishment of specific requirements that must be met by the importers of the live export animals, the ban was lifted in October 2011.

In early February, the Agricultural Minister, Senator Joe Ludwig, will lead a delegation to the Middle East to set up a set of regulations that meet international standards for livestock exported to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Like Indonesia, these countries are very important to the live export industry and setting up regulations that all agree with, is vital to the future of this important trade.

Chapter One of the Food Standards Code contains the labelling requirements for food in Australia and New Zealand. It allows for specific claims and businesses are not permitted to make claims unless stated in the Code.

There has recently been a review of the labelling requirements and as part of this there will be changes made to what claims are allowed and how they may be written.

Alongside these requirements are those allowed according to our Trade Practices Act. This Act has a variety of parts but the fundamental principle throughout is that businesses can only make claims on their labelling that is true and can be substantiated.

Recently, one of the country’s largest poultry producers has been ordered to pay AU$ 100,000 penalty for making a misleading claim.

In this case the misleading claim on the packaging was that the birds in the producer’s sites in New South Wales and Victoria were “free to roam” This was found through an investigation by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission to be incorrect and the Melbourne Federal Court heard that in fact, each bird had only the space equivalent of an A4 piece of paper.

This case and the resulting penalty, including the national advertisement that the producer had to do in newspapers, shows that making claims that are not true to get more sales or improve reputation is not acceptable and that businesses that do so will be caught and punished.

Following are recalls for December – The information is supplied with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Coles baking mix varieties (undeclared allergen – sesame)

Coles Supermarkets Ltd is recalling Coles branded baking mix varieties from Coles Supermarkets, including Bi Lo and Pick N Pay nationally due to an undeclared allergen (sesame). Customers can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ – 16 December 2011 – amended on 21 December 2011 to include additional products numbered 2 to 7

Food type – Mixed and/or processed food

Product name

1. Coles Chocolate Cake with Icing (cake mix)
2. Coles Chocolate Mud Cake (baking mix)
3. Coles Chocolate Fudge Brownies (baking mix)
4. Coles 97% Fat Free Chocolate Cake (baking mix)
5. Coles 97 % Fat Free Choc Chip Muffins (baking mix)
6. Coles Chocolate Drop Cupcakes (baking mix)
7. Coles Smart Buy Chocolate Cake Mix

Package description & size -All available in cardboard packaging

1. 470g
2. 600g
3. 600g
4. 600g
5. 500g
6. 300g
7. 340g

Date marking

1. All best before dates up to and including 16 Dec 12
2. All best before dates up to and including 16 Dec 12
3. All best before dates up to and including 16 Dec 12
4. All best before dates up to and including 19 Oct 12
5. All best before dates up to and including 19 Oct 12
6. All best before dates up to and including 19 Oct 12
7. All best before dates up to and including 19 Oct 12

Country of origin- Australia

Reason for recall -Undeclared allergen (sesame)

Distribution – Coles Supermarkets, including Bi Lo and Pick N Pay nationally

Consumer advice – Any consumers with a sesame allergen or intolerance should not consume these products

Contact – Coles Customer Car1800 061 562

Baby Food (foreign matter – plastic)

Green Monkey Ltd has recalled all 5 varieties of Green Monkey Organic Baby Food from Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux Supermarkets nationally due to a foreign matter contamination (plastic). Customers can return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ -19 December 2011

Food type – Baby food

Product name

• Green Monkey Organic Baby Food Apple and Blueberry
• Green Monkey Organic Baby Food Carrot and Parsnip
• Green Monkey Organic Baby Food Pumpkin, Silverbeet and Sweet Potato
• Green Monkey Organic Baby Food Lamb, Carrot and Sweet Potato
• Green Monkey Organic Baby Food Beef, Apple, Beetroot and Pumpkin

Package description & size – Tear-top pouch – 100g

Date marking – All Best Before dates up to and including 22/05/2013

Country of origin – New Zealand

Reason for recall – Packaging fault – resulting in the presence of foreign matter (small plastic pieces)

Distribution – Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux Supermarkets nationally

Consumer advice – Consumers should not eat this product

Contact – Green Monkey Ltd – info@greenmonkey.co.nz

Coles Chocolate Cake with Icing (cake mix) (undeclared allergen – sesame)

Coles Supermarkets Ltd is recalling Coles Chocolate Cake with Icing (cake mix) from Coles Supermarkets, including Bi-Lo and Pick N Pay nationally due to an undeclared allergen (sesame). Customers can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ – 16 December 2011

Food type – Mixed and/or processed food

Product name – Coles Chocolate Cake with Icing (cake mix)

Package description & size – Cardboard box, 470g

Date marking – All Best Before dates up to and including 16 Dec 12.

Country of origin – Australia

Reason for recall – Undeclared allergen (sesame)

Distribution- Nationally.

Consumer advice – Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice

Contact – Coles Customer Care – 1800 061 562

Tapioca Chips (high levels of naturally occurring cyanide)

Resmi International Pty Ltd has recalled Grandma’s Tapioca Chips and Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy from Indian grocery stores in NSW, ACT, VIC, WA, and QLD due to high levels of naturally occurring cyanide in cassava containing tapioca chips. Customers can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund

Date notified to FSANZ -9 December 2011

Food type -Mixed and/or processed food

Product name

Grandma’s Tapioca Chips

Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy

Package description & size – Both in clear plastic bags

Grandma’s Tapioca Chips: 200g

Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy: 180g

Date marking

Grandma’s Tapioca Chips: 08.2012

Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy: 14.06.2012

Country of origin-India

Reason for recall- high levels of naturally occurring cyanide which is of a food safety concern.

Distribution-NSW, ACT, VIC, WA and QLD

Consumer advice – Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice

Contact-Resmi International Pty Ltd – 03 9354 2400

This May will see Australia’s best chocolatiers and pastry chefs busy at work creating amazing things at the Food Service Expo in Sydney. They will be competing for an envied and cherished spot in the World Chocolate Masters competition, which will be held at the 2012 Expo.

The competition is the Australian Qualifier for this premier culinary event, dedicated to only chocolate and the art created from it. It is an initiative by Cacao Barry and Callebaut Chocolate.

The pieces created must be completely chocolate and the next Masters Competition will be held in Paris in 2013. Australia did well in 2011 with Seung Yun Lee gaining fourth spot in a year that had an Aztec theme.

For pictures of the 2011 winners and their incredible creations, including the amazing necklaces, go to http://www.foodserviceaustralia.com.au/Content/World-Chocolate-Masters

The Expo will, for the first time, give people attending it to the opportunity to see this amazing competition and the beautiful creations as they are being made. It happens on 27 May 2012.

There will be six finalists competing at the Expo for the right to represent Australia in Paris and the chance to win $100,000 and wear the coveted title of World Chocolate Master.

It is recognised that foods that have a low glycemic index (GI) are beneficial to health and especially to those with Diabetes. A low GI means that the food is digested slowly and the nutrients it contains are released into the bloodstream over a long time period. This will make a food seem “more filling”.

High GI foods release sugars into the blood stream quickly and this can be a major issue for those with blood sugar problems, like Diabetes.

Most baked goods have high GIs due to the ingredients they contain. Biscuits are not high on the foods that should be eaten by those who should be eating low GI foods.

A recent study has shown that by replacing up to 50 percent of the usual wheat flour with flour made from unripened bananas, biscuits can become a food that may also be enjoyed by those with blood sugar and other health conditions.

The unripe banana flour is extremely high in undigestible starch and this is what makes the biscuits produced low in GI.

This study will obviously only be a starting point in the ongoing work to improve the quality of people’s lives whilst still assisting with health issues. Obesity is increasing globally and studies like this show that all people may be able to see their cookies and eat them too.

With the rain and damage in North Queensland over summer, bananas became very expensive for quite a while. It would not have been the time to be making flour from unripened bananas as there was more value in selling what was available as fresh fruit.

However, there is a potential for fruit that is intact, and not contaminated, but not suitable for sale, to be converted to this new type of flour before the fruit ripens. This would be an excellent example of sustainability, by using something that would only be going to waste otherwise.

The article was published first on line in LWT – Food Science and Technology. “Starch digestibility and glycemic index of cookies partially substituted with unripened banana flour” by E Agama-Acevedo, J.J. Islas-Hernandez, G.Pacheco-Vargas, P.Osorio-Diaz, L.Arturo Bello-Perez.

With the Carbon Tax package now on it’s way as of the 01 July 2012, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been tasked by the Commonwealth government to monitor pricing as a result of the introduction of the package.

There is a distinct fear that there will be an increase in prices on products and services prior to the upcoming introduction of the Carbon Tax and therefore to reinforce the importance of ethical and correct pricing, the ACCC has just launched a Guide to assist businesses during this period and then after the 01 July 2012 introduction.

It is illegal to claim that a product or service is “green”, or related claims, this is known as “greenwashing”. It also illegal for businesses to increase prices on products or services, if there are no legitimate reasons for doing so. The same situation was in place prior to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The new Guide will provide all business types with an understanding of their rights and responsibilities, especially at this time.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims said, “Business costs increase all the time, and businesses are free to set their own prices. However, if a business chooses to raise their prices they should not misrepresent this as a result of the carbon price when it is not the case. The message is simple: if you are going to make a claim, you need to make sure it is right.”

The guide can be found in the new publications section on www.accc.gov.au

It is well recognised that irradiation can destroy bacteria and other micro-organisms in food – depending upon the dose. This processing / preservation method is controversial with many in the public being strongly against it. It is however the preferred method for preservation in some specific food types due to the nature of those foods. Herbs and spices are one of the food types that are often irradiated to reduce the mould load. Soft fruits, like strawberries, are also excellent candidates for irradiation.

We know about the effects on micro-organisms, but to determine if this is a method for use on a large scale commercially, we also need to know if there is any impact on quality characteristics of the foods being treated.

A recent study on ScienceDirect.com has shown that at higher doses, irradiation may have detrimental effects on flavours.

Cooked, ready to eat chicken breast was vacuum packed and then irradiated at either 5 kGy or 40kGy. Microbial tests were then done to determine the bacterial levels at the start of the study and no irradiation (the control) had a count of 4.75 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) and the 5kGy samples were at 2.26CFU/g. There were no viable cells found in the 40kGy samples.

At 10 days into the study, the levels of bacteria in the control and 5kGy samples had increased and there were still none present in the 40kGy samples. This confirms that higher level of irradiation does give good preservation for long term storage.

The pH level of the food was found to be higher at the start of the study in the 40kGy samples but at that point there did not appear to be any change in the sensory scores for any of the samples.

On the tenth day, there was a sensory score difference with the 40kGy samples showing a higher score for off-flavours. When tested, these samples were found to contain hexane, heptane, pentanal, dimethly disulfide, heptanal, and nonanal – not found in either the 5kGy sample or control. There were also specific compounds found in the 5kGy samples that were not present in the control.

This study indicates that even though higher dose irradiation will have the desired reduction in bacterial levels, it may also cause a development of off flavours. Obviously more work needs to be done on other foods and doses, to find the irradiation dosage where optimum bacterial effect is achieved whilst minimising quality impact.

The study can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969806X11003732

Effect of high-dose irradiation on quality characteristics of ready-to-eat chicken breast

Hyejeong Yuna, Kyung Haeng Leeb, Hyun Jung Leea, Ju Woon Leec, Dong Uk Ahnd, Cheorun Joa.

The Parent’s Jury is a parent’s activitist group. It aims to promote healthy food and lifestyles for Australian children, and more information about the group can be found at http://www.parentsjury.org.au/

Their 2011 Shame and Fame Awards have just been announced and the group has not had good words to say about the marketing and labelling of two of Australia’s most well known brands.

Shane Warne was the face of an advertising campaign for a new chicken based product from a quick serve chain and the Parent’s Jury have said that this was unacceptable as it was “using sport to promote unhealthy food which influences children”.

A leading cereal manufacturer was also highlighted for two of it’s products having either labelling that “make an unhealthy product appear healthier than it is” or for “encouraging children to nag for unhealthy foods”.

“With one in four Australian children considered to be overweight or obese, it’s no longer enough to simply tell parents to say no. We as a society have to take a stand and tell the industry its codes are not good enough. Parents need a positive environment to reinforce healthy eating habits, instead of constantly battling unhealthy food promotion.” said Corrina Langelaan, Parents’ Jury Manager

A campaign by a major Frozen food producer received a big thumbs up for encouraging schools to develop and build vegetable gardens.

The Chief Executive of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC,) Kate Carnell has responded to the announcement of the awards on behalf of the food industry by asking parents to remember the work the industry “is taking to make healthier choices easier and to significantly reduce advertising of foods that that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) to children in all forms of media. Under the AFGC’s Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, leading food and beverage manufacturers have committed not to advertise HFSS foods to children under 12, unless they promoted healthy dietary choices and a healthy lifestyle.”