The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) this week released a research report on food handling practices in Australian food businesses. The findings were mixed.
Results of the National Food Handling Benchmark Report show that businesses have started to use the better practices proposed in the new national food safety standards.
ANZFA' s managing director Ian Lindenmayer said he was pleased that the majority of the food businesses surveyed, such as food manufacturers, food retailers, child care centres, schools, hospitals, cafés and restaurants, both knew about and are implementing safe food handling practices.
"Most significantly, food businesses with a food safety programme in place scored better on food safety than those without. A food safety programme sets out in writing how a business will ensure that the food they sell is safe.
"Large businesses and those handling high risk foods, such as processed meats, poultry, seafood, egg and dairy dishes and prepared salads, were more likely than other businesses to have better knowledge of safe food handling practices and to be using them."
Of some concern is the fact that the results revealed that a small percentage of businesses are not aware of the basics of food safety, such as the need to keep high risk food at the right temperature, to protect food from contamination, to clean and sanitise food preparation equipment properly, and to follow personal hygiene and illness management procedures.
"Over 20 per cent of food businesses did not know the correct temperatures for storing chilled food and a considerable number of food businesses used touch (43 per cent) and/or sight (57 per cent) to check food temperatures.
"It is also a matter of concern that many food businesses are not following proper personal hygiene practices to ensure the safety of their food, with 17 per cent not having sufficient hand washing facilities, 7 per cent with no soap or hand cleanser and 14 per cent with no warm running water," Lindenmayer said.
In a bid to reduce the risks of producing food that is unsafe, the States and Territories are introducing three new national Food Safety Standards, developed by ANZFA, that require businesses to have safe food handling practices, premises and equipment. ANZFA hopes that these standards will improve food safety practices in food businesses.
This recent research, that touched over 1200 food businesses, was a benchmark study conducted prior to the implementation of the food safety standards and results of future surveys will provide evidence of whether any improvement has occurred.