The Food Safety Information Council today urged consumers to ensure their health is not compromised by taking food safety ‘short cuts’ during the current high cost of living period.

Associate Professor Julian Cox, said that, according to our fellow charity Foodbank, 3.5 million Australian households (or 1 in 3) have experienced food insecurity over the past 12 months, now made worse with increasing costs of fuel and food due to global tensions.

‘There are an estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 47,900 hospitalisations, 38 deaths and cost the Australian economy around $2.1 billion. Foodborne disease isn’t always a minor or short illness; it can leave consumers with long-term health effects such as reactive arthritis, and can even be fatal.

‘We recommend you follow these tips to save money while staying food safe:

1. Check the dates. You may be able to make savings by buying foods, especially meat, close to their marked date. Just remember to use or freeze the food before its use by date. Foods with a best before date can still be eaten safely after that date but may have lost some quality or nutritional value.
2. Your freezer is your friend. Avoid food waste. Divide your foods into smaller portions, ideally in airtight containers, or freezer bags, with minimal headspace, and freeze. For meat or poultry, freeze raw, as advised, or consider cooking suitable meals, consuming some, and freezing the rest. For fruit and vegetables, you might wash them, but many have been washed commercially. Most should be blanched in boiling water briefly before freezing, which enhances food safety. Beat eggs in small portions or freeze separated yolks and whites. Even milk, and grated or whole blocks of hard cheese can be frozen. While some foods freeze well, some do not, and others can be frozen with particular uses in mind. Also, check on the length of time of frozen storage under which quality remains optimal.
3. Cheaper meat is just as tasty.If you are moving to more economical cuts of meat such as mince, sausages, rolled roasts, liver and other offal and chicken, remember to use a meat thermometer to ensure that it is cooked to at least 75°C in the centre. Of course, some cheaper cuts need a low and slow cook for best eating, so that helps with producing safety-friendly meals.
4. Seasonal fruit and veg.Look for fruit and vegetables that are in season as they are often cheaper and taste their best. Many retailers offer a cheaper price on fruit and veg that don’t look perfect. Minor blemishes aren’t a safety risk but don’t purchase green or sprouting potatoes as they can contain toxins.
5. Forget foraging.Don’t be tempted to forage for wild food as a saving. Mushrooms and some other plants that can look like food can be very toxic. Wild foods can be contaminated by water, soil and animal faeces that might transfer dangerous microbes, parasites and chemicals.
6. Don’t purchase food from unreliable sourcessuch as through social media. Make sure you are buying from a legal food business to ensure food safety standards have been followed.
7. Never ‘dumpster dive’ for discarded food. It is likely to be contaminated by other rubbish, be past its use by date, unlikely kept at a safe temperature, or may have been discarded due to a food recall.
8. Grow your own? If you have space and time, you might be tempted to start your own veggie patch, but remember that you must take care with production in the yard, and handling in the kitchen, as home-fresh produce can come with risks, such as contamination from companion animals.

‘Finally, if you need support, contact a food charity such as OzHarvest, Second Bite or Foodbank. Alternatively, if you can afford it, donate to these charities to help them keep their patrons going during these difficult times,’ Dr Cox concluded.

The Food Safety Information Council is a national health promotion charity helping Australians stay food safe. You can make a tax deductable donation to them here https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/donate/

Media Contact:

Lydia Buchtmann, Food Safety Information Council, 0407 626 688