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Food Standards Scotland

50% of people in Scotland say they stick to what they learned as children when it comes to preparing and cooking food

• Only 45% claim to follow the correct food safety behaviour of never washing raw poultry, such as the Christmas turkey
• Washing turkey or chicken before cooking can spread harmful bacteria like campylobacter, the most common cause of food poisoning in Scotland

Primary pupils at Midmar School in Sauchen show how food safety is easy, and that not following good food hygiene practices when it comes to your Christmas dinner could put you and your family at risk of food poisoning over the festive season.

A Food Standards Scotland survey* revealed that only 45% of people in Scotland follow the correct food safety behaviour of never washing raw poultry, such as the Christmas turkey. Washing poultry is unnecessary as proper cooking kills harmful bacteria like campylobacter, and rinsing the raw meat will only splash harmful germs around the kitchen. Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in Scotland, and the effects can range from unpleasant to very serious illness**.

The majority of adults in Scotland (79%)*** are worried about the prospect of contracting food poisoning such as campylobacter and salmonella, but there are a number of common kitchen habits that may actually be putting them and their families at risk. Advice on safely preparing and cooking your Christmas turkey can be found at Food Standards Scotland’s Turkey Cooking Guide, which also has safe storage and reheating instructions for Christmas leftovers.

Jacqui McElhiney, Head of Food Protection, Science and Surveillance, said:

“Old habits die hard and while Christmas traditions are wonderful, some, such as washing the turkey like dad or gran always did, can do more harm than good by spreading harmful bugs around the kitchen.

“It’s also really important to make sure your turkey is cooked properly – follow any cooking instructions on the label and check that it is fully cooked through. Using a meat thermometer is your best bet to check that the meat is at least 75°C at the thickest part – it should be steaming hot, with no pink meat and juices that run clear.”

No one wants to be ill, particularly at Christmas. Follow our Turkey Cooking Guide at http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/consumers/food-safety/at-home/turkey-cooking-guide for simple advice that will help reduce the risk of food poisoning.”

Listeria is the second video in.

Listeria is a family of bacteria that contains ten species. One of these, Listeria monocytogenes, causes the disease listeriosis in humans and animals. Although listeriosis is rare, the disease is often severe with high hospitalisation and mortality rates. Learn more about listeria infections in humans from one of EFSA’s scientists in this short, concise video.

Food Standards Australia

(November 2017)

Agents of Foodborne Illness is a technical series for the food industry, food safety consultants and food regulators. It contains information about pathogens that cause foodborne illness including:

• growth and survival characteristics
• symptoms of disease
• virulence factors
• epidemiological data including a summary of large, well-document outbreaks
• occurrence in food
• susceptible populations
• dose-response relationship

The technical series considers bacteria and viruses, parasites and infectious prions. It is not intended as a comprehensive reference source. Each document also contains a list of recommended reading, such as the US Food and Drug Administration’s Bad Bug Book.

• Bacillus cereus ​(pdf 102kb) | (word 99kb)
• Campylobacter species ​(pdf 100kb) | (word 109kb)
• Cyclospora cayetanensis ​(pdf 102kb) | (word 97kb)
• Hepatitis A virus ​(pdf 108kb) | (word 88kb)
• Listeria monocytogenes ​(pdf 91kb) | (word 90kb)
• Norovirus (pdf 141kb)​ | (word 77kb) ​
• Prions (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) ​(pdf 50kb) | (word 74kb)
• Salmonella (non-typhoidal) ​(pdf 98kb) | (word 96kb)
• Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) ​(pdf 92kb) | (word 88kb)
• Shigella species ​(pdf 86kb) | (word 93kb)
• Staphylococcus aureus ​(pdf 88kb) | (word 81kb)
• Toxoplasma gondii ​(pdf 130kb) | (word 126kb)
• References (pdf 206kb) | (word 115kb)

Additional resources for food businesses on preparing safe food are available, such as the CSIRO Guide to Food Safety – Make it Safe

For consumer and public health information, please refer to you state or territory health department website or visit the Food Safety Information Council.​​​​

Poultry Med 

Food safety is an important public health issue and governments across the world are intensifying their efforts to improve the quantity, quality and the safety of national food supplies. Bacteria, especially Salmonella species, present in or on chicken meat and hens’ eggs in particular are the most common causes of food poisoning and the major sources of human salmonellosis. A new study published in the South African Journal of Science found that almost three-quarters of eggs bought at shops in Pretoria are contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.
The genera identified (out of 468 eggs) were Escherichia coli (34%), Enterococcus faecalis (14%), Proteus mirabilis (9%), Klebshiella pneumoniae (7%), Salmonella Typhimurium (6%), Enterobacter cloacae (1%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (0.6%), Salmonella Dublin (0.6%) and Salmonella Braenderup (0.2%).

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

Workers at two more facilities in southeastern Michigan have bene diagnosed with hepatitis A. Workers at the Token Lounge at 28949 Joy Road in Westland have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to news reports.  And a worker at Jet’s Pizza at 15235 East Seven Mile Road near Hayes in Detroit was also diagnosed with the virus. There is no information about these two restaurants on the Wayne County Health Department web site.

CFIA 

Image CDC

Ottawa, December 15, 2017 – The food recall warning issued on December 9, 2017 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Imperial Caviar & Seafood is recalling Imperial Caviar & Seafood and VIP Caviar Club brand Trout Roe from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.