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Current data suggests that more than 5 million Australians are struck down with food poisoning each year. But despite this worrying figure, the overall number of food poisoning cases is actually falling – with regards to everything but salmonella. According to figures published last year by the Victorian Department of Health, cases of salmonella poisonings in the state have increased at least 50% since 2012. And even more worrying, Queensland’s Department of He…

A Kiama woman who was allegedly struck down with food poisoning from a chicken roll has given birth to a baby girl more than a month prematurely in an emergency caesarean. Ashley Buchanan and her husband were both admitted to Wollongong Hospital with severe food poisoning on Sunday night after they began to feel extremely ill. Mrs Buchanan told 2UE breakfast radio that they had both eaten a hot chicken roll from the Box Village Bakery earlier that day. While i…

A UK woman has been awarded £263,000 in damages after a food poisoning incident left her with a lifelong case of irritable bowel syndrome. In 2009, Tracey Rae, a 44-year-old adult tutor, was dining out at the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society restaurant in Leith where she ordered a chicken liver salad. The next morning she woke to feel extremely unwell with abdominal cramps and nausea, and began passing bloody diarrhoea. After seeking treatment, Rae was told she had…

Environmental Health Officers in Brisbane have issued almost 500 infringement notices to local businesses for food safety breaches in the last financial year. This staggering number of fines has netted the Council over half a million dollars. These figures were announced following the release of the City Council’s most recent annual report. Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has told reporters that the Council’s health department also successfully prosecuted 27…

Typically, most people simply assume that fresh fruits and vegetables are the healthiest options – packed with the most nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals. However, when you begin to take into account all of the different considerations addressed through storage, a different picture emerges. The amount of nutrient-loss within fresh produce is significantly higher than you might expect and research has found that many cooking and storage methods could take…

Recently, information has come to light that around one in every ten Australians needs to access food relief each year. However despite this, hunger and food insecurity remain something of a “hidden crisis” amongst the population. Foodbank Australia – the organisation primarily responsible for delivering food to those in need – announced that demand had increased by as much as 8% over the last financial year. Today, around 516,000 Australians use Foodbank serv…

A recent OmniPoll survey suggests that Australians may be incorrectly identifying “off” milk as the biggest culprit of food poisoning, when the true risk could actually be raw egg dishes. Research has found that most people correctly identify chicken, minced meat and seafood as food safety risks if they are not handled properly. But, a much lower number of people consider raw egg dishes an issue. In recent years, an increase in the number of Salmonella outbreak…

The more we learn about climate change, the more we discover it’s an issue that can’t be ignored. A recent report provided by the Climate Council, entitled “Feeding a Hungry Nation”, discovered that Australia’s food security is under threat in terms of quality, seasonality, and price. As extreme weather events throughout the area become more common – driven by alternating weather patterns, intense droughts, and climate disruption – farmers are finding it increa…

Local councils routinely conduct food safety inspections on commercial food businesses to ensure that they are complying with the relevant food safety standards. This practice aims to protect the health of Australians by ensuring that food businesses are maintaining a high-level of food safety. The “Scores on Doors” system, which is operated by many local councils, takes the results from the routine food safety inspections and turns them into an easy-to-underst…

Australia’s Business Insider has asked all those daredevils out there whether they would try any of the most dangerous foods in the world. If you’ve ever said you’d try eating anything once, then this is the article for you. Different foods are harmful for different reasons and it is often those that appear the least threatening that can kill. So what are some of the most dangerous foods on the list? Keep reading to find out! Fugu Pufferfish – This tiny litt…

Recently, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) released an annual report regarding food safety operations. During the 2014 and 2015, FSANZ detailed 58 food recalls across Australia and New Zealand – most with connections to microbial contamination or allergens. Of these recalls, the most common pathogen was Listeria Monocytogenes. Though the data suggests that unsafe food recalls were down 8 cases on the year before, twenty of the recent recalls were ca…

A Coffs Harbour city councillor has been issued with $1320 in fines for failing to comply with food safety standards. And the twist is, he was issued the fines by Environmental Health Officers from the same local council he works for. Cr John Arkan runs an Indian take-away food van called Temple Gardens Curried Away, which has received infringement notices for several food safety breeches. According to the Coffs Coast Advocate, Environmental Health Officers ha…

Residents of the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown have been on high alert for the past month while they waited for the test results carried out on the area after a toxic leak. Authorities had previously banned all fishing for oysters after fire-fighting foam which contaminated the area surrounding Williamstown air force base, was thought to have polluted the local water. However the bans were lifted this week when a state-led panel, set up to investigate the l…

Over the years, studies have found that chicken is by far the most popular meat in Australia. According to the ABC, the average amount of chicken consumed each year is more than the consumption of lamb and beef combined. However, it is important to remember that chicken comes with its own set of food safety risks. FSANZ has found instances of around 84% of chicken carcasses testing positive for Campylobacter – a bacteria responsible for causing gastroenteritis.…

The thunder of horses hooves, bright blooming flowers and the always-dreaded hay fever season all mean one thing – Spring is upon us once again. While this might mean it’s time to put away those bulky winter coats and begin emerging into the sunshine again, it’s also important to know how best to keep yourself and others safe when it comes to food safety – particularly regarding food safety temperatures. One thing Spring invites is outdoor activities. Whether p…