Food safety in Australia

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Food safety in Australia concerns the production, distribution, preparation, and storage of food in Australia to prevent foodborne illness, also known as food safety. Food Standards Australia New Zealand is responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand. [1] [2]

Contents

In recent years the quality and integrity of the food supply in Australia has been under observation. Incidents such as the contaminated frozen berries during the second half of 2014 and the rockmelon listeriosis outbreak in early 2018 saw a concern in particular for the health of mothers and the elderly due to the contaminants reportedly capable of causing listeria and cholera. [1] It was reported in 2013 that, in comparison with other developed countries, Australia has higher rates for many illnesses due to foodborne pathogens. This may be caused by greater identification of cases, higher rates of detection and increased risk factors. [3]

Australia has followed the international trend away from government oversight towards a focus on preventive measures taken by the food industry. [4]

History

The first law regulating food in Australia was the Victorian Public Food Act 1854. It was enacted in response to concerns with adulterated foods and allowed the Board of Health to inspect, seize and destroy unwholesome foods. [5]

After federation the states retained control of food safety. [5] These initially covered the manufacture and sale of food. Powers were expanded to include labelling requirements. A lack of uniformity amongst the various state laws hampered interstate trade and led to a series of conferences held between 1910 and 1927. In 1936, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) was established within the Department of Health to advise on matters of public health, which included food. It wasn't until 1952 that the NHMRC pressed for national uniformity of food and drug regulations. Eventually the Food Standards Committee was created to recommend food standards for states to adopt. [5] The first major issue was chemical additives, followed by microbiological standards. In 1989, the responsibility for food standards was transferred to the Bureau of Consumer Affairs within the Attorney-General's Department. [5]

Standards

Australia and New Zealand have a joint standards body for food safety: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). [2] It is an independent statutory agency established by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991. FSANZ is part of the Australian federal Department of Health's portfolio.

FSANZ develops standards that regulate the use of ingredients, processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals. Their standards also includes the composition of some foods, e.g. dairy, meat and beverages as well as standards developed by new technologies such as genetically modified foods. FSANZ is also responsible for some labelling requirements for packaged and unpackaged food, e.g. specific mandatory warnings or advisory labels. [6] FSANZ must ensure that labelling of packaged foods includes: name and description of the product, mandatory warning and advisory statements, ingredient list, date marking, nutrition information panel, percentage labelling, directions for storage and use. [7] Another main role of FSANZ is to manage food recall systems. When a product is declared to have safety issues like harmful bacteria or the presence of allergens the products needs to be removed from retail shelves and people's homes to ensure the health and safety of consumers. [8]

Governance

Since 1 February 2020, the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment are responsible for food safety in Australia. They work with industry and other Australian government agencies, in particular the Department of Health and FSANZ, to develop policy and food standards. The Australia and New Zealand food regulatory system involves the governments of Australia, New Zealand, and the governments of the Australian states and territories. Food standards are developed under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, administered by FSANZ and enforced by state and territory governments. [9]

A relevant agency in each state and territory monitors compliance with the code, while the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is responsible for the inspection and sampling of imported food. [10] The Department administers relevant legislation at the Australian border, and imported food must meet Australia's biosecurity requirements under the Biosecurity Act 2015 , as well as food safety requirements of the Imported Food Control Act 1992. Labelling on imported food must comply the requirements, and is regulated under the Imported Food Inspection Scheme. [9] [11]

Raw milk

Raw milk cheese cannot be manufactured in Australia. Comte AOP.jpg
Raw milk cheese cannot be manufactured in Australia.

Raw milk (i.e. unpasteurised milk) can be sold in Australia but must be labelled as "not for human consumption". It is often sold as "bath milk" for bathing. Raw milk contains such bacteria as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, which are the cause of many foodborne illnesses. [12] However this product is consumed by people who have a desire to drink raw milk, usually because they perceive it to a more natural less processed food. [13]

Domestic food safety

It is important to consider the spread of disease via the mishandling of food in homes, as experts agree this is a last line of defence against diseases that are food-borne. [14] [15] Research conducted using families in Australia has highlighted the lack of distributed knowledge in regards to food handling both domestically and generally in the community, [16] [17] as seen by a relatively poor knowledge of this subject. [16] The questioning of 524 families showed that 70% poorly handled cooked food products, 42% poorly handled raw foods and 47% of families did not appropriately wash their hands to maintain hygiene while preparing food. Further research of food stage practices showed that 81% of families placed food in refrigerators inappropriately and unsafe thawing of chicken was carried out by 76% of families. [17] These statistics raised the issue of unsafe handling of food and the need for families to be reminded of the detrimental health risks caused by the mishandling of food products in order to initiate change. [15]

Incidents

Mandatory reporting requirements exist in Australia for food disease outbreaks. [3] The Office of Health Protection within the Department of Health manages the OzFoodNet program, which employs epidemiologists around the country who investigate foodborne disease and develop appropriate responses to cases. [3]

1995
Mettwurst sausage DEU Braunschweiger (Mettwurst) S&L 37 MSZ111114.jpg
Mettwurst sausage

In 1995 a 4-year-old girl died from a fatal stroke after eating mettwurst produced by the Garibaldi company, and many other people were hospitalised. Toxins in the meat attacked blood vessels and kidneys. 23 children developed lifelong damage to their kidneys, suffering Hemolytic-uremic syndrome. [18]

1996

In 1996, more than 500 people fell ill after consuming peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella. Around 50 of these cases were linked to Kraft peanut butter, where the peanuts had been contaminated with mouse droppings in the roasting process. [19] [20] [21]

1999

Nippy's fresh chilled fruit juices were found to contain traces of Salmonella Typhimurium, infecting 507 people. Relevant juice products were recalled and the contamination was eventually traced to fruit from one supplier. [22] [23]

2007

In March 2007, Long and Linda Fou, owners of the Homebush French Golden Hot Bakery in NSW, pleaded guilty to handling and selling unsafe food. They were fined $42,000. 319 people were poisoned during the incident. [24]

2010

Around 500 people alleged they had suffered thyroid dysfunction after dangerous levels of iodine were found in Bonsoy brand soy milk, due to the formulation used in the product between 2004 and 2009, which replaced pure kombu seaweed with kombu powder. In 2014, the milk's Japanese producers and Australian distributors agreed to pay a $25 million class action settlement—the largest ever food safety settlement in Australia. [25]

2014

In December 2014, a 3-year-old girl died, apparently after drinking raw milk sold as bath milk. Other children were admitted to hospital. [26]

2015

In February 2015, a recall of frozen berries imported from China was issued after at least 12 people contracted hepatitis A following their consumption of the product. Poor hygiene by Chinese workers or contaminated water supplies in China are suspected as the cause. [27]

2018

At least five people died, 17 became ill and one woman miscarried after eating rockmelon contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes . The outbreak was traced to Rombola Family Farms in the Riverina region of New South Wales. [28] The NSW Food Authority recommends "vulnerable populations", which include children under 5 years, people over 70 years of age, diabetics, pregnant women, people with cancer and suppressed immune systems avoid consuming rockmelons. The authority also issues advice for the correct handling of rockmelons for the general public. [29]

2018
Strawberries on sale in Coles with a notice advising customers to inspect and cut up strawberries before consuming them Strawberries on sale in Australia with tampering notice.jpg
Strawberries on sale in Coles with a notice advising customers to inspect and cut up strawberries before consuming them

During September 2018 strawberries, originating initially from Queensland and later expanding to those from Western Australia were found contaminated with needles in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. At least one person was hospitalised after swallowing part of a needle. [30] [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foodborne illness</span> Illness from eating spoiled food

Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions, and toxins such as aflatoxins in peanuts, poisonous mushrooms, and various species of beans that have not been boiled for at least 10 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raw milk</span> Milk that has not been pasteurized

Raw milk or unpasteurized milk is milk that has not been pasteurized, a process of heating liquid foods to kill pathogens for safe consumption and extending the shelf life.

<i>Listeria</i> Genus of bacteria

Listeria is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. Until 1992, 10 species were known, each containing two subspecies. By 2024, 28 species had been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. Listeria species are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, and facultatively anaerobic, and do not produce endospores. The major human pathogen in the genus Listeria is L. monocytogenes. It is usually the causative agent of the relatively rare bacterial disease listeriosis, an infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria. Listeriosis can cause serious illness in pregnant women, newborns, adults with weakened immune systems and the elderly, and may cause gastroenteritis in others who have been severely infected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listeriosis</span> Medical condition

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes, although L. ivanovii and L. grayi have been reported in certain cases. Listeriosis can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Those at risk of severe illness are the elderly, fetuses, newborns and those who are immunocompromised. In pregnant women it may cause stillbirth or spontaneous abortion, and preterm birth is common. Listeriosis may cause mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis and fever in anyone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Product recall</span> Request to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects

A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), formerly Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), is the statutory authority in the Australian Government Health portfolio that is responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food safety</span> Scientific discipline

Food safety is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from the ingestion of a common food is known as a food-borne disease outbreak. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potential health hazards. In this way, food safety often overlaps with food defense to prevent harm to consumers. The tracks within this line of thought are safety between industry and the market and then between the market and the consumer. In considering industry-to-market practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the practices relating to food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, as well as policies on biotechnology and food and guidelines for the management of governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. In considering market-to-consumer practices, the usual thought is that food ought to be safe in the market and the concern is safe delivery and preparation of the food for the consumer. Food safety, nutrition and food security are closely related. Unhealthy food creates a cycle of disease and malnutrition that affects infants and adults as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut Corporation of America</span> Defunct peanut processing company

Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) was a peanut-processing business which is now defunct as a result of one of the most massive and lethal food-borne contamination events in U.S. history.

Adulteration is a legal offense and when the food fails to meet the legal standards set by the government, it is said to have been Adulterated Food. One form of adulteration is the addition of another substance to a food item in order to increase the quantity of the food item in raw form or prepared form, which results in the loss of the actual quality of the food item. These substances may be either available food items or non-food items. Among meat and meat products some of the items used to adulterate are water or ice, carcasses, or carcasses of animals other than the animal meant to be consumed. In the case of seafood, adulteration may refer to species substitution (mislabeling), which replaces the species identified on the product label with another species, or undisclosed processing methods, in which treatments such as additives, excessive glazing, or short-weighting are not disclosed to the consumer.

Raw meat generally refers to any type of uncooked muscle tissue of an animal used for food. In the meat production industry, the term ‘meat’ refers specifically to mammalian flesh, while the words ‘poultry’ and ‘seafood’ are used to differentiate between the tissue of birds and aquatic creatures.

Micreos is a Netherlands-based phage- and endolysin technology development company. The company is the developer of Staphefekt, an endolysin that selectively kills Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The substance is an ingredient in the firm's skincare brand Gladskin which targets inflammatory skin conditions.

The Australian Food Safety Information Council is a health promotion charity The Council develops consumer-targeted food safety information to address the number of Australians getting sick from food poisoning by providing simple, easy to follow consumer information on the handling, storage and preparation of food. A study by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the Australian National University in 2022 estimated there are 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 47,900 hospitalisations, 38 deaths and a cost to the economy of $2.1 billion.

Salmonellosis annually causes, per CDC estimation, about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths in the United States every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Australian rockmelon listeriosis outbreak</span> Food safety incident in Australia and Singapore

The 2018 Australian rockmelon listeriosis outbreak was an outbreak of Listeriosis, caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, later traced to rockmelon grown by Rombola Family Farms in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food safety in the United States</span>

Food safety in the United States relates to the processing, packaging, and storage of food in a way that prevents food-borne illness within the United States. The beginning of regulation on food safety in the United States started in the early 1900s, when several outbreaks sparked the need for litigation managing food in the food industry. Over the next few decades, the United States created several government agencies in an effort to better understand contaminants in food and to regulate these impurities. Many laws regarding food safety in the United States have been created and amended since the beginning of the 1900s. Food makers and their products are inspected and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food safety in Qatar</span>

Food safety is the process of ensuring safe food consumption in the country and preventing diseases outbreaks by approving laws that ensure safety and sanitation in food industries. In Qatar, Food safety is a major concern because unsafe food can result in foodborne diseases outbreaks and cause death due to the fact that contaminated food consumption can affect everyone with severe impacts on elderly, children, infants, people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, pregnant women, and people with a compromised immune system. Foodborne illnesses are a result of eating contaminated food with different types of pathogens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk borne diseases</span>

Milk borne diseases are any diseases caused by consumption of milk or dairy products infected or contaminated by pathogens. Milk borne diseases are one of the recurrent foodborne illnesses—between 1993 and 2012 over 120 outbreaks related to raw milk were recorded in the US with approximately 1,900 illnesses and 140 hospitalisations. With rich nutrients essential for growth and development such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and vitamins in milk, pathogenic microorganisms are well nourished and are capable of rapid cell division and extensive population growth in this favourable environment. Common pathogens include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites and among them, bacterial infection is the leading cause of milk borne diseases.

References

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  2. 1 2 "Corporate Plan 2019–20". FSANZ. 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Motarjemi, Yasmine (2013). Encyclopedia of Food Safety. Academic Press. p. 296. ISBN   978-0-12-378613-5 . Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Unnevehr, Laurian; Nancy Hirschhorn (2000). Food Safety Issues in the Developing World, Volumes 23-469. World Bank Publications. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-8213-4770-6 . Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Richardson, Keith C.; William R. Porter (2009). "Development of Food Legislation Around the World: Australia and New Zealand". In Boisrobert, Christine; Stjepanovic, Aleksandra; Oh, Sangsuk; et al. (eds.). Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization. Academic Press. pp. 27–29. ISBN   978-0-08-088930-6 . Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "About Us". Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Lidgard, Danielle; Yeatman, Heather (1 September 2002). "Dietitians' knowledge and perceptions of changes to food labelling in Australia". Nutrition & Dietetics. 59 (3): 181–186. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Belanger, Lorraine (1 June 2014). "Food recall protocol". Food Australia. 66 (3): 38–39. Retrieved 16 April 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. 1 2 "Food regulation and safety". Department of Agriculture. Australian Government. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  10. ↑ "Food enforcement contacts". Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "Imported Food Inspection Scheme". Department of Agriculture. Government of Australia. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Whittaker, Mark (5 March 2015). "Why I feed my kids raw milk". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Scott, Elizabeth (2003). "Food safety and foodborne disease in 21st century homes". The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases. 14 (5): 277–280. doi: 10.1155/2003/363984 . ISSN   1180-2332. PMC   2094945 . PMID   18159469.
  15. 1 2 Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Berning, Jacqueline; Martin-Biggers, Jennifer; Quick, Virginia (2 September 2013). "Food Safety in Home Kitchens: A Synthesis of the Literature". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 10 (9): 4060–4085. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10094060 . PMC   3799528 . PMID   24002725.
  16. 1 2 Worsley, Anthony; Wang, Wei C.; Byrne, Stephanie; Yeatman, Heather (1 April 2013). "Patterns of Food Safety Knowledge among Australians: A Latent Class Approach". Journal of Food Protection. 76 (4): 646–652. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-449 . PMID   23575127.
  17. 1 2 Mitakakis, T; Sinclair, M (2004). "Food safety in family homes in melbourne, australia". Journal of Food Protection. 67 (4): 818–22. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X-67.4.818 . PMID   15083738. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Fewster, Sean (23 November 2011). "Garibaldi victims finally paid, bringing saga to an end". The Advertiser . Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Food Safety Tests". The Buzz – ABC Radio National . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 April 2004. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  20. ↑ Jargon, Julie; Zhang, Jane (15 January 2009). "Peanut-Butter Probe Focuses on Georgia Plant". Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  21. ↑ McDonald, Lynette Maree; Hartel, Charmine E.J. (2000). "Peanut butter, salmonella poisoning and children: On becoming "involved" and angry following a company crisis". Queensland Review. 7 (1): 69–76. doi:10.1017/S1321816600002075. hdl: 10072/60896 . S2CID   55513947. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Nippy's – A Salmonella Outbreak & Company Under Threat". Golden Target Awards. Public Relations Institute of Australia. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "Dowdell v Knispel Fruit Juices Pty Ltd [2003] FCA 851" (PDF). Federal Court of Australia. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  24. ↑ Drake, Isobel (6 January 2009). "Australian Food News". Australian Food News. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  25. ↑ Younger, Emma (24 November 2014). "Bonsoy toxic soy milk victims on track for share of $25m payout; thought to be record-setting settlement". ABC News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  26. ↑ "Raw milk recalled after Vic toddler death". The Daily Telegraph . 12 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "Frozen berries Heptitus A scare". ABC News Australia. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  28. ↑ McNeilage, Amy (15 March 2018). "Fifth person dies in Australia's rockmelon listeria outbreak". The Guardian . Sydney. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Rockmelons". NSW Food Authority. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  30. ↑ Claughton, David (17 September 2018). "Strawberry contamination case a wake up call for industry". ABC Rural. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  31. ↑ "Strawberry needle scare spreads to WA as growers suspect industry vendetta". ABC News. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.

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