Eggs can be dangerous
The following is a media release from the Food Safety Information Council and is included here with permission.
EASTER EGGS – RAW AND RISKY
With time for brunch and entertaining not all eggs consumed during the Easter break will be foil wrapped so many of us will have to lift our egg handling skills to avoid food poisoning.
According to a national Newspoll survey conducted for the Food Safety Information Council, almost one in five Australians are taking risks by not handling eggs and foods containing raw egg correctly.
Council Chairman, Dr Michael Eyles, says this creates potential for major food poisoning risks. Food Standards Australia New Zealand estimates there are about 12,800 cases of egg-related salmonellosis per year in Australia, costing $44 million, and that the number of cases is rising.
‘Australian eggs are a convenient, cost effective, safe and nutritious food we should all enjoy. Unlike some overseas countries, Australia does not have the type of salmonella that get into the egg as it is formed by the hen. However, there is still a risk that salmonella on the shell can be transferred to the raw eggs through cracks and poor handling,’ Dr Eyles says.
‘While it is illegal to sell cracked or visibly dirty eggs in Australia, they can become cracked after purchase. It is also becoming popular for people to keep their own laying hens.
‘Cracked and dirty eggs have been a key cause of contamination and many cases of illness have also been associated with uncooked or lightly-cooked foods containing contaminated raw egg such as sauces and desserts. Following simple tips released by the Food Safety Information Council today will keep you and your family safer,’ Dr Eyles concludes.
You can reduce your risk of food poisoning by following these simple tips:
- Check your eggs for visible cracks, if cracked it is safest to discard them or cook thoroughly, for example in a baked cake.
- Wash your hands after handling eggs so you don’t contaminate other food.
- If you are not going to cook the eggs further, don’t separate the yolk from the white using the shell as that can contaminate it. Invest in a plastic egg separator.
- Don’t prepare food containing raw egg for those vulnerable people at greater risk from food poisoning such as small children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Eggs can be cooked for these vulnerable people until the yolk has started to become firm or if in an omelet or scrambled has set.
- Prepare raw egg foods (for example uncooked desserts such as mousses, sauces, fresh mayonnaise, egg nogs, health shakes with added raw egg, steak tartar) just before you are going to consume them. Refrigerate immediately at 5°C or under to impede bacteria growth. Raw egg foods should only be made in small portions which can be eaten at one sitting as the risk of food poisoning increases each time it is removed from refrigeration.
- If you have your own hens, gather eggs from their nesting places daily. Carefully check any eggs for cracks and wipe off any visible dirt with a dry cloth or paper towel before washing your hands with soap and water and drying thoroughly. Don’t wash the eggs with water as this can increase the risk of bacteria entering the egg through fine cracks or pores, and may contaminate your sink and kitchen area.
The national Newspoll survey found that:
- A total of 18% of Australians would not handle raw egg mayonnaise safely (9% would refrigerate after 30 minutes, 2% would leave overnight and 7% did not know).
- Six in ten people (61%) correctly believed homemade whole egg mayonnaise should be put in the fridge straight away, and a further two in ten (21%) believe it should be left out for no more than half an hour.
- Females and those living in the warmer regions (Qld & NT) were the most conscious of the need for prompt refrigeration.
- In contrast, those with higher education levels are more likely to take a relaxed attitude, with 14% of those with a university degree considering it would still be OK after a few hours.
- A small but significant group were unsure, notably among those aged 50+.
Food poisoning results, on average, in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, and 2.1 million days of lost work each year. The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion.
The Food Safety Information Council is Australia’s leading disseminator of consumer- targeted food safety information. It is a non-profit entity supported by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, state and territory health and food safety agencies, local government, and leading professional, industry and community organisations.
CONTACT: Juliana Madden, Executive Officer: 0407 626 688
NOTE: Pronunciation of ‘Eyles’: as for ‘British Isles’, or ‘supermarket aisles’.
- Published in News
Call for submissions for changes to Australian food law
The following are from media releases from Food Standards Australia new Zealand (FSANZ) and are included here with permission.
FSANZ consultation paper proposes new approach to regulation of nutritive substances and novel foods
(26 March 2012)
Food Standards Australian New Zealand (FSANZ) today released a consultation paper on a proposed new approach to regulating nutritive substances and novel foods.
Under the current Food Standards Code, nutritive substances are foods that are not normally consumed as food on their own or used as an ingredient, for example an amino acid. Novel foods are foods or substances that don’t have a history of human consumption.
FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said there had been some difficulty in interpreting the current definitions for nutritive substances and novel foods, which led to FSANZ exploring a new approach.
“Under the proposed alternative approach, definitions in the Code for these substances and foods would be removed,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“They would be replaced with criteria for eligible foods. Foods that don’t meet the criteria would be deemed non-eligible and would need to be assessed. If considered safe to eat, they would be listed as permitted in the Code.
“FSANZ welcomes comments on the consultation paper from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community on the application.”
The closing date for submissions is 21 May 2012.
Horticulture report released for consultation
(26 March 2012)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand called for submissions today on a report looking at the safety of fresh produce including fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, tree nuts and edible flowers.
FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said this work was part of a series of national food safety standards which apply throughout the food supply chain – from paddock to plate.
“Surveys show that the horticulture sector does a good job in managing food safety risks associated with fresh produce,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“The majority of fresh horticultural produce grown in Australia is produced under industry-based food safety schemes.
“However, food safety hazards can occur which can cause illness in the community and costs to industry.
“FSANZ is exploring if regulatory or additional non-regulatory measures are needed to manage these hazards in conjunction with existing schemes.”
Comments are invited from government agencies, industry and consumers on the Assessment Report.
The closing date for submissions is 21 May 2012.
Call for submissions on minor meat species proposal
(26 March 2012)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on a proposal looking at possible food safety measures for producers and processors of minor meat species and wild game.
FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said species covered by the primary production and processing proposal included kangaroo, crocodile, rabbit, ostrich and emu.
“Primary production and processing standards set out obligations for primary producers and processors at critical points in the food chain,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“For example, where appropriate, in primary production there may be obligations for inputs such as feed and water to be managed.”
“There are existing requirements in Australian Standards for meat processing for some of these species however there is no process for reviewing or updating these standards.
“One of the options FSANZ is looking at would involve including processing controls currently in place under Australian Standards in the Food Standards Code.”
The closing date for submissions is 21 May 2012.
More information
Consultation paper – Proposed future regulation of nutritive substances and novel foods in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (word 537 kb) | (pdf 1062 kb)
FSANZ’s latest notification circular
Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand) or email media@foodstandards.gov.au
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Current Recalls
The following are two of the current Recalls, the information has been provided by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and is included here with permission.
Fantastic Snacks (unpleasant odour and stale taste)
Fantastic Snacks has recalled Fantastic Noodles Chicken Flavoured and Beef Flavoured nationally from Coles, IGA and other independent supermarkets due to reports of unpleasant odour and stale taste, possibly caused by the chemical composition of the cooking oil. Consumers should not eat this product as it may cause nausea and/or stomach upsets. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.
Date notified to FSANZ – 28 March 2012
Food type – Mixed and/or processed food
Product name
- Fantastic 2 Minute Noodles Chicken Flavoured 12 Pack
- Fantastic 2 Minute Noodles Beef Flavoured 12 Pack
Package description & size – 1.02kg net (12x85g), rectangular cardboard box containing 12 packets of noodles
Date marking – All Best Before dates currently in the marketplace
Country of origin – Australia
Reason for recall – There have been consumer complaints of unpleasant odour and stale taste, possibly caused by the chemical composition of the cooking oil
Distribution -Nationally at Coles, IGA and other independent retail outlets
Consumer advice – Consumers should not eat this product as it may cause nausea and/or stomach upsets Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice. Consumers should return these products (including any opened and/or partially consumed packs) to the place of purchase for a full refund
Contact – Customer Hotline 1800 334 829
Woolworths Ltd (undeclared allergens)
Woolworths Ltd has recalled Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (mix) and Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Confetti Cupcakes (mix) nationally from Woolworths/Safeway/Food For Less/ Flemings Supermarkets due to undeclared allergens (milk and traces of tree nuts). Consumers with a milk or tree nut allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if these products are consumed. Consumers with a milk or tree nut allergy or intolerance should not consume these products and should return them to the nearest Woolworths/Safeway/Food For Less/ Flemings Supermarket for a full refund.
Date notified to FSANZ – 22 March 2012
Food type – Mixed and/or processed food
Product name
- Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (mix)
- Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Confetti Cupcakes (mix)
Package description & size – 255g red cardboard box
Date marking – All best before dates currently sold by Woolworths Ltd
Country of origin -USA
Reason for recall – Undeclared allergens due to a labelling application error by Woolworths Ltd. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (mix) may contain undeclared traces of tree nuts. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Confetti Cupcakes (mix) contains undeclared milk and may contain undeclared traces of tree nuts.
Distribution – Woolworths/Safeway/Food For Less/ Flemings Supermarkets nationally
Consumer advice – Consumers with a milk or tree nut allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if these products are consumed. Consumers with a milk or tree nut allergy or intolerance should not consume these products and should return them to the nearest Woolworths/Safeway/Food For Less/ Flemings Supermarket for a full refund.
Contact -Woolworths Toll-free Customer Service number: 1800 103 515
- Published in News
Allergy free eggs are on their way
There are many people who object to genetic modification, but a form of this research, and potential product, is looking to helping those in our community that are allergic to eggs.
An allergy to eggs does not only impact on the food these people can eat but also on whether they can be given vaccines. Most vaccines, like those for the Flu, are made on an egg white base and this means that those with egg allergies are most likely not able to have them, and this is a major health issue for our community.
There are 40 proteins in egg white and four of them account for the majority of egg allergies.
The research is being done by a PhD candidate (Pathum Dhanapala) at Deakin University as a collaboration with both the CSIRO and the Poultry Co-operative Research Centre. Although the modification that is being developed is not actually gene modification, it will result in a product that will allow those with an egg allergy to have eggs and bacon for breakfast.
The research is focused on switching off the main four proteins in egg white. The incredible aspect of the research is that the modified eggs appear to still produce viable young and those chickens will then lay eggs that are allergy free.
Associate Professor Cenk Suphioglu from Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences said; “This is a completely novel approach in that previous egg-allergy research has cloned the egg-white-allergen genes but no-one has gone as far as to make the proteins non-allergenic. There is evidence that new parents are exposing their infants to egg products for the first time in the car parks of major children’s hospitals just so they are close to medical attention in case their child reacts adversely.”
This research has not only food safety implications but will make vaccines safer for all. The research will take a few more years, and it is expected that allergy free eggs will be available in supermarkets within five to 10 years.
- Published in News
The 2012 Dairy Awards
2012 is the Year of the Farmer, so the recently named 13th Australian Grand Dairy Awards (AGDA) has extra significance.
There are 19 categories and the Champions of each of those are then judged to determine the Grand Champion Cheese product and Grand Champion Dairy product.
Ian Halliday, the Managing Director of Dairy Australia commented, “The dairy industry has a strong history of innovation and inspiration, our dairying tradition has been forged by people with vision and a determination to succeed and is literally brimming with inspirational stories of resilience, passion and energy.”
The 2012 Grand Champions were:
Cheese – Maffra Cloth Aged Cheddar, Maffra Cheese Co (VIC)
Dairy – Gippsland Dairy Pure Double Cream, Bead Foods (VIC)
The 2012 AGDA Cheese Champions were:
Fresh Unripened Cheese – That’s Amore Burrata, That’s Amore Cheese (VIC)
Cheddar-Style Cheese – Maffra Cloth Aged Cheddar, Maffra Cheese Co (VIC)
Washed Rind Cheese – King Island Dairy Stormy, Lion Dairy & Drinks (TAS)
White Mould Cheese – Tasmanian Heritage Signature Camembert, Lion Dairy & Drinks (TAS)
Hard Cheese – Puglia Pecorino Romano, The Fresh Cheese Co (VIC)
Flavoured Cheese – Barambah Organics Labna with Fennel & Sea Salt, Barambah Organics (QLD)
Semi-Hard and Eye Cheese – Tasmanian Heritage St Claire, Lion Dairy & Drinks (TAS)
Blue Cheese – King Island Dairy Roaring Forties Blue, Lion Dairy & Drinks (TAS)
Goat’s or Sheep’s Milk Cheese – Woodside Monet, Woodside Cheese Wrights (SA)
The 2012 AGDA Dairy Champions were:
Natural Yogurt – Mundella Premium Natural Yoghurt, Mundella Foods (WA)
Flavoured Yogurt – Gippsland Dairy Blueberry Twist Yogurt, Bead Foods (VIC)
Ice Cream – Cocolat Pistachio Ice Cream, Cocolat (SA)
Dairy Gelato – Caffe e Gelato Milany Banana Gelato, Caffe e Gelato Milany (QLD)
Dairy Dessert – King Island Dairy Belgian Chocolate Crème Dessert, Lion Dairy & Drinks (TAS)
Milk – Pura Original Milk, Lion Dairy & Drinks (VIC)
Specialty White Dairy Drink – Sungold O’ Frothy One, Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory (VIC)
Flavoured Dairy Drink – Oak Egg Nog, Parmalat (SA)
Cream – Gippsland Dairy Pure Double Cream, Bead Foods (VIC)
Butter or Butter Blend – Tatura Continental Unsalted Butter, Tatura Milk Industries (VIC)
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Are barcodes going the way of the dodo?
For a while now, there has been a lot of work on improving, or even eliminating, the bar code system for foods.
While scanning of packaged food products in supermarkets is now the method used to process customer orders, it was only 15 or so years ago that there were no scanners. There are still some in our community that can remember when scanners first came into our lives and the furore about how they are going to cause cancer and other medical conditions.
The use of barcodes and scanners has given retailers an incredible ability to maintain stock control and has allowed for many of the technological benefits we now accept as part of our shopping experience.
The major problem with bar codes is that fresh produce does not have them and therefore cannot be scanned. This has meant that the weighing and manual price entry has remained with us.
A new type of scanner does not use barcodes but a small high speed camera and can be used on all foods, including fresh produce.
The scanner has been created in Japan by Toshiba Tec and is called the Object Recognition Scanner. It has the ability to ignore the background in the picture taken and allow the system to identify the actual food itself.
Toshiba said, “Ordinarily, with a camera, the surroundings would appear as well, but with the Object Recognition Scanner, only the subjects like apples appear. That means the noise is eliminated from the beginning, so the scanner can recognize objects very fast, even if they’re moving. Fruit and vegetables in supermarkets don’t usually have barcodes, because they’re put out while they’re fresh. So these items can’t be read at the register using barcodes, which means staff need to input data to record them. If staff are part-time employees, they may not recognise some items, which can cause delays. We’re developing this new scanner to solve that problem.”
The new scanners are not yet available as Toshiba is finalising it’s fine tuning.
Another method that is being used to replace the bar code is the Radio Frequency Identification chip. This is a tiny specially developed chip that is attached to the product and replaces the bar code. The chip is read by a special scanner and provides; price, quantity remaining, product name, weight of packaged food and manufacturer as well as other required information. This method is already heavily used with the warehousing and transport industries and is now starting to make it’s way into retail.
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