Canberra has the potential to be one of cities most at risk from cases of food poisoning, according to ACT health officers. Despite its clean, affluence image with a diligent bureaucracy taking care of every aspect of our lives, there are key factors about Canberra that increase the risk of food poisoning. The director of the Public and Environmental and health Service, Alec Percival, said this week that society had to get away from the clean-floors-and-walls mentality with food poisoning. His message was that the food poisoning was caused by microbes, not dirt.
The big risk came when food was left too long a tepid temperatures _ higher than four degrees and lower than 60 degrees _ even if that was in a spotless kitchen. Canberra’s extra risk comes because it has more two-income families than average. This results in a greater use of quick pre-cooked meals and a greater danger that cooked food gets contaminated and is not sufficiently re-heated to kill the bacteria and toxins. Canberra’s affluence means more people eat out. Canberra has about one restaurant seat for 18 people; Geelong, for example, has one seat for 80. Eating out can increase risk because cooking is done in bulk and often pre-cooked and, unless the preparer has bulk cooling, food is more likely to be at tepid temperatures for longer. Canberra, being recently self-governing, had not until recently developed the legislative regimes of the states to deal with food poisoning and other environmental health matters _ and is still catching up in some areas. General licensing for all people selling food in the ACT came into effect only last year; before that only some food sellers had to be licensed. Food poisoning costs Australia about $2 billion a year in lost work, medical and other costs. Mr Percival’s service wants to educate rather than prosecute.
“”We do not want to be Mr Plod,” he said. “”Prosecution is a mark of failure, but is sometimes a necessary last resort.” Among other things, the service recommends that food not be left at room temperature. Thaw in a microwave or fridge. That cooked food stored in the fridge be covered and separated from raw food to avoid cross-contamination. That hands be washed before food preparation in a separate basin (not the kitchen sink). Point to SATY MAG. Point to Saty MAG.