Food safety in Australia
This article needs to be updated.(March 2020) |
Food safety in Australia concerns the production,
In recent years the quality and integrity of the food supply in Australia has been under observation. Incidents such as the
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
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
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
Governance
Since 1 February 2020, the
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.
Raw milk
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.
- 1995
In 1995 a 4-year-old girl died from a fatal stroke after eating
- 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
- 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
- 2018
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
References
- ^ PMID 24638225.
- ^ a b "Corporate Plan 2019–20". FSANZ. 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-12-378613-5. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-8213-4770-6. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-08-088930-6. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "About Us". Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Belanger, Lorraine (1 June 2014). "Food recall protocol". Food Australia. 66 (3): 38–39. Retrieved 16 April 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Food regulation and safety". Department of Agriculture. Australian Government. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Food enforcement contacts". Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Imported Food Inspection Scheme". Department of Agriculture. Government of Australia. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Whittaker, Mark (5 March 2015). "Why I feed my kids raw milk". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- PMID 18159469.
- ^ PMID 24002725.
- ^ PMID 23575127.
- ^ from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ Fewster, Sean (23 November 2011). "Garibaldi victims finally paid, bringing saga to an end". The Advertiser. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ABC Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 April 2004. Archivedfrom the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Wall Street Journal. Archivedfrom the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Dowdell v Knispel Fruit Juices Pty Ltd [2003] FCA 851" (PDF). Federal Court of Australia. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ Drake, Isobel (6 January 2009). "Australian Food News". Australian Food News. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Raw milk recalled after Vic toddler death". The Daily Telegraph. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ "Frozen berries Heptitus A scare". ABC News Australia. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rockmelons". NSW Food Authority. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ Claughton, David (17 September 2018). "Strawberry contamination case a wake up call for industry". ABC Rural. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Strawberry needle scare spreads to WA as growers suspect industry vendetta". ABC News. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
Attribution
This Wikipedia article uses text from the website "Food Standards Australia New Zealand" published by Food Standards Australia New Zealand under CC-BY 3.0 AU license (accessed on 19 February 2015, archived on 19 February 2015).