Learn more about food safety and reduce your risk of food poisoning
Published on 11 November 2022
It’s Australian Food Safety Week (12 to 19 November) and Byron Shire Council is encouraging the community to learn more about what foods are risky and could lead to food poisoning.
“What people might not be aware of is that food poisoning can lead to some pretty nasty illnesses,” Council’s Manager Public and Environmental Services Sarah Nagel said.
“There’s an estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia that result in 32,000 hospitalisations and 86 deaths plus a million visits to the doctor on average every year.
“It really is worth learning more about which foods are risky and how to best cook them so you can stay healthy,” Ms Nagel said.
“Having a digital meat thermometer is one way you can reduce your risk and another way is to wash your salads and vegetables properly and ensure you wash your hands before and during the cooking process,” Ms Nagel said.
Did you know you should cook your food to these temperatures (measured by a thermometer in the centre of the food):
- Beef, lamb, kangaroo in whole cuts like chops, steaks, pieces and roasts at least 63°C (medium rare) and leave to rest 3 to 5 minutes
- Pork steaks and pieces to 70°C and roasts to between 70°C and 75°C and leave to rest 3 to 5 minutes
- Sausages, mince, poultry, rolled roasts, liver and other offal 75°C
- Reheated leftovers 75°C
- Fish fillets 63°C or when flesh flakes easily
- Eggs and egg dishes such as quiche 72°C or until white is firm and yolk thickens.
But what about raw meat dishes like sashimi?
“The advice around eating raw meat, like Sashimi, is to ensure it’s kept at five degrees Celsius or under that temperature,” Ms Nagel said.
Byron Shire Council requires all permanent, temporary and mobile food businesses to go through an approval process before they can operate.
“The objective is to ensure that people aren’t exposed to unnecessary risks caused by the mishandling of food,” Ms Nagel said.
Learn more about food safety and test your knowledge by taking the food safety quiz on the Food Safety Information Council website.
Local businesses can find out more about Council’s approval process on the website and take advantage of the free food handling online training.
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