Food Safety on the Radar Again!

QA 15/03_B

Food Safety is on the agenda again, following more incidents:

• 175 school principals with food poisoning at a conference early March related to salmonella
• 7 people reported food poisoning as a result of tuna served in a Sydney café related to scombroid poisoning**
• 20 people were hospitalized with salmonella poisoning – including two chefs – after eating egg based products at a Broadbeach Café

All of these incidents, while we are still awaiting the results of the berry recall – which places food safety ‘top of mind’ for consumers. It may not be directly related to the Australian fresh produce industry, however as other industries can be affected by the ‘fall out’ and consumers lack of confidence in the food industry.

Food poisoning events can still occur even with the most stringent processes in place, as with the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, however it only takes one missed step at a critical point in the process that could lead to your business name being plastered all over the headlines. This is why businesses are required to obtain HACCP Certification and have HACCP Plans in place, identifying the critical points in the process. By identifying these critical points, that could have potential to lead to contamination or risk, the business can put controls in place to assist in prevention of potential issues.

Is your business HACCP Accredited? Do you have an up to date and relevant Manual? How does your business perform during audits? If you need help or advice, contact our Brismark QA experts to see how we can assist you in complying with legislations and protecting your business.

**Scombroid poisoning has a rapid onset period of between a few minutes and a few hours after consumption of contaminated fish - symptoms include tingling around the lips, flushing of the face, headache, nausea, sweating, vomiting and diarrhea - with people typically recovering after a few hours.
Source: Courier Mail online (various dates)