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Wellington, December 21, 2020
As the festive season begins and as we welcome the rise in summer temperatures, the risk of food poisoning at home increases, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall has warned.
“Food poisoning is a significant issue in New Zealand with an estimated 100,000 people getting sick from unsafe food handling practices at home. That is why the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is launching an awareness campaign, reminding consumers to follow the 3 C’s: clean, cook and chill, when handling, cooking and storing raw meats such as poultry, to avoid getting sick and paying the price,” she said.
Study
Dr Verrall said that a recent study on consumer food safety behaviour and knowledge revealed that most New Zealanders do not believe that food poisoning can be deadly or create long-term, health consequences but think that the food they cook at home is safer than the local takeaway or café.
Protection against foodborne ailments
“The Government is committed to protecting Kiwis from foodborne illnesses. For many Kiwis, food poisoning consists of a few days’ worth of an upset stomach, cramps, bloating and/or vomiting – a few days in bed away from work or school, and not much else. However, some people can and do experience more severe forms of foodborne illnesses as a result of picking up harmful bacteria and viruses like Campylobacter, Norovirus, Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia coli (E coli) and Bacillus cereus,” she said.
Dr Verrall said that this is true for young Tamariki, the elderly community, pregnant mothers and Kiwis who suffer from other health issues.
Easy, Safety tips
Here are some very easy-to-follow food safety tips for Kiwis this summer:
If in doubt, chuck it out
Wash your hands, not your chicken
Cook meat through, don’t poison the crew
Know the rules, wash your kitchen tools
To support Clean Cook Chill this summer, MPI (New Zealand Food Safety) has teamed with MasterChef winning sisters Karena and Kasey Bird to offer additional advice and helpful cooking tips on social media this summer.
For more food safety advice, go to Ministry for Primary Industries’ website at:
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/
Follow Ministry for Primary Industries’ Facebook page to stay up-to-date on Clean Cook Chill.
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