This week is Food Safety Week.
Starting yesterday and ending this Sunday, Food Safety Week is the biggest week of the year for the Food Safety Information Council.
This year’s Food Safety Week theme is Temperature Danger Zone–keeping hot food hot and cold food cold. This year’s theme focuses on what temperatures are safe to store hot and cold food and what temperatures enable bacteria that causes food poisoning to survive and spread.
The bacteria that causes food poisoning can survive and spread if food is left out in temperatures between 5 to 60oC.
According to a media release from the Food Safety Information Council there are 4.1 million cases of food poisoning per year as well as almost 32,000 hospitalisations, 86 deaths and 1 million visits to the doctor from food poisoning per year.
The Food Safety Information Council also stated that 22 percent of Australians believe it is okay to leave cooked rice on a benchtop overnight. The Food Safety Information Council recommends seven tips to prevent food poisoning–planning ahead, checking food storage instructions, keeping hot food hot in the oven, dividing up food to cool, keeping food cool in transit, making sure that the fridge is set below 5oC and to throw food out when in doubt.
Previous themes for Food Safety Week have included hand washing and cross contamination, cooking for family and friends, protecting tiny tummies, food on the move, food safety messages for young people leaving home, back to the basics, food adventures, safe food, myths and mastery, vulnerable populations, cross contamination and shopping food safety.
More information on Food Safety Week, including resources to use in the workplace to raise awareness of Food Safety Week, can be found here.
Image via Wikimedia Commons.