Food Safety In Australia

The issue of food safety is a national concern. In Australia alone, food poisoning results, on average, in 120 deaths, 1.2 million doctor visits, and 2.1 million days of lost work each year. The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion, a figure which is rising annually, according to the Food Safety Information Council, a non-profit propagator of consumer-targeted food safety information. As pre-prepared food consumption becomes a more convenient and preferred way to eat meals by people in today’s society, more problems arise in the hospitality industry. The purpose of this report is to determine how food poisoning occurs, identify the consequences of poor food handling, and to identify food safety laws and regulations

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics suggests that the household spend on meals outside of the home has jumped over 55% since the 1980s, from $42 per week in 1984 to $66 in 2010. Where households spent one-fifth of their weekly food budget on eating out in 1984, today that figure is closer to one-third. Sadly, much of the fast food that is ingested are full of saturated fats, salt and added sugars, and laden with kilojoules. Correspondingly, more than 60% of Australians adults and almost a quarter of Australian children are either overweight or obese. Clare Hughes, Nutrition Program Manager at Cancer Council NSW states. While fast food should be an occasional treat, busy schedules mean that people are eating out more often and are relying on take away and convenience

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, called Explorer of the Seas, was returning from New Zealand when a severe bout of gastro hit. Public health director with the South East Sydney Local Health District, Dr. Mark Ferson, said the outbreak started a couple of days after the ship left Sydney on December 2 and spread quickly. The ship carried about 4,700 passengers and crew. Dr Ferson added that the cruise line operator Royal Caribbean took proper steps to stem the contagion. "They're very professional and they've instituted extra cleaning sanitation, getting passengers to wash their hands more, doing extra cleaning in the terminal of the ship in ports," he