Food-borne illness outbreaks are costing the Australian economy $1.5 billion a year, according to a Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) report.
Restaurants are the largest source of outbreaks, 45 per cent; followed by aged care facilities, 8 per cent; commercial catering companies, 7 per cent; and bakeries, 3 per cent. FSANZ's investigation of 1257 reported foodborne illness outbreaks found that 77% of the foodborne illness outbreaks were linked to food prepared in food service or retail settings.
The revelations come as the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) seeks public comment on proposed new food safety management standards for restaurants and other foodservice providers.
The government is proposing three specific measures to ensure that food establishments protect their customers: requiring food safety supervisors, training employees in food handling procedures, and requiring businesses to keep documentation to substantiate their management of food safety.
Businesses will fall into one of three categories, with those associated with high food safety risks required to apply more food safety measures than those with lower risks.
The approach aims to have the greatest impact on reducing the risk of foodborne illness, without generating a heavy regulatory burden for Australian businesses.
“The majority of businesses do an excellent job in providing Australians with safe food, however, our assessment of food safety management practices in the sector has found a need for strengthened standards to ensure greater consistency and reduce rates of foodborne illness,” Dr. Cuthbert, Interim FSANZ CEO, said.
“The proposed changes will help food businesses enhance their food safety management practices, delivering safer food to consumers and supporting improved business and consumer confidence.”
The FSANZ report noted challenges in identifying and attributing illness to a particular food, adding “this is not always achieved”.
Between 2010 and 2017, nine thousand four hundred ninety‐seven cases of foodborne illness resulted from outbreaks in restaurants, commercial caterers, or takeaway settings. At least nineteen hundred people were hospitalized, and fifty-six died. Sources of contamination included eating contaminated raw products, inadequate cleaning of equipment, cross-contamination from raw ingredients, insufficient cooking, food left at room temperature, and inadequate refrigeration.
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