What is food safety?
Inadequate cooking or poor storage conditions are a common cause of food poisoning. Cross contamination from raw to cooked foods, such as through hands, chopping boards or utensils, can also cause food poisoning. Most foods, especially meat, poultry, fish and eggs, should be cooked thoroughly to kill most types of food poisoning bacteria.
Food poisoning is often caused by bacteria in food that has been incorrectly stored, prepared, handled or cooked. Food contaminated with food poisoning bacteria may look, smell and taste normal.
Risky food and the temperature danger zone
Food poisoning bacteria grow and multiply fastest in the temperature danger zone between 5 °C and 60 °C. It is important to keep high risk food out of this temperature zone.
Food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply more easily on some foods than others. High risk foods include:
- raw and cooked meat, such as chicken and minced meat, and foods containing them such as casseroles, curries and lasagne
- dairy products, such as custard and dairy based desserts like custard tarts and cheesecake
- eggs and egg products, such as mousse
- smallgoods, such as ham and salami
- seafood, such as seafood salad, patties, fish balls, stews containing seafood and fish stock
- cooked rice and pasta
- prepared salads, such as coleslaws, pasta salads and rice salads
- prepared fruit salads
- ready to eat foods, such as sandwiches, rolls and pizzas that contain any of the foods listed above.
Food that comes in packages, cans and jars can become high risk once opened and should be handled and stored correctly.
Food storage
Storing food safely is very important. How food should be stored depends on how you plan to keep it.
Storing food in the fridge or freezer
Your fridge temperature should be 5 °C or below. Your freezer temperature should be below −15 °C.
- Put hot food into shallow containers or divide it into smaller portions so it cools as quickly as possible.
- Do not place very hot food directly into the refrigerator. Wait until the steam has stopped rising before placing it in the fridge.
Donating and receiving food
Food businesses or individuals can donate food to charities or emergency services, but it is important that donated food is safe to eat.
Food should be collected by, or delivered to, the recipient as quickly as possible. Some donated foods that are high risk can quickly become unsafe if they are not refrigerated or eaten immediately, especially in warm weather.
The 2 hour/4 hour guide applies to food that is ready to eat that is not being kept at 5C or colder or 60S or hotter, for example if in transit between locations.
The times below include all time the food is out of the fridge including preparation, display or delivery.
If the total time between 5C and 60C is:
- Less than 2 hours, the food can be used or put back in the fridge for later use
- Between 2 and 4 hours, the food can be used, but can’t be put back in the fridge
- 4 hours or longer, the food must be thrown out.
Donated food should be transferred into clean, covered food grade containers. Everyone involved in handling donated food should maintain a high standard of personal hygiene and cleanliness.
There is legislation that provides indemnity for organisations that donate safe food to charitable organisations, but the food must be safe to eat when it leaves the donor. The donor should provide the recipient with any information needed to ensure the ongoing safety of the food, including handling requirements and time limits.
Charities or organisations receiving donated food are recommended to decline donations if they are not satisfied that the food has been stored and transported safely.
Making sure the food is safe by checking:
- Donated food is clean and covered in food graded containers
- How long the food has been sitting out or in transit
- That everyone involved in handling food has maintained personal hygiene and cleanliness
For professionals
Two or more related cases of suspected food or waterborne illness are considered an urgent notifiable condition. Medical practitioners and pathology services must notify these cases immediately by telephone on 1300 651 160 (24/7). whether the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed.
For most foodborne infections, everyone is susceptible. However, sporadic illness is more commonly identified in young children, older adults and people who are immunocompromised.
Management of cases can range from supportive care and rehydration to hospitalisation in more severe cases.
People with confirmed or suspected infectious gastroenteritis should be excluded from food handling, schools and children’s services until diarrhoea has stopped, or, depending on the pathogen, until two faecal samples taken at least 24 hours apart return negative results.
Healthcare workers employed in areas with high risk patients, such as special care nurseries or residential aged care facilities, should be excluded from work until at least 48 hours after diarrhoea has ceased.
