Food standards commission targets dangerous bacteria and chemicals

Measures to make food safer dominate agenda of Codex Alimentarius Commission

6 July 2009, Rome - The Codex Alimentarius Commission, (CAC) concluded a week-long meeting and adopted more than 30 new international standards, codes of practice and guidelines to improve worldwide food safety and protect the health of consumers.



Acrylamide can be produced during the frying of potatoes.


New standards adopted by the Commission include:

Reduction of Acrylamide in foods
The Commission approved measures for reducing the formation of acrylamide in foods. The Code of Practice will provide national and local authorities, manufacturers and others with guidance to prevent and reduce formation of acrylamide in potato products during all phases of the production process. The guidance includes strategies for raw materials, the addition of other ingredients; and food processing and heating. The chemical acrylamide, first identified in food in 2002, is produced during frying, roasting and baking of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as French fries, potato crisps, coffee, biscuits, pastries and breads. Acrylamide is considered a possible human carcinogen.

Reduction of contamination with Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
The Commission adopted the first guidelines for reducing Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) intake through final food preparation. Because smoking and direct drying processes are used both in industry and in private households, the guidance can also form the basis of consumer education programs. Parts of PAH are possible human carcinogens formed during the combustion of fuel both in the smoking and in the direct drying processes involved in the preparation of foods.

Prevention of Ochratoxin A contamination in coffee
The Commission adopted guidance to enable coffee producing countries to develop and implement their own national programmes for the prevention and reduction of Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination. OTA is a fungal toxin also considered a possible human carcinogen.

Powdered Follow-up Formulae
The Commission adopted criteria for salmonella and other bacteria in powdered follow-up formulae for children six months of age or older and for special medical purposes for young children. A bacterium of special concern is E.sakazakii, for which Codex adopted specific criteria for powdered formula for infants (0 to 6 months) in 2008. The Commission decided that in countries with particular risk for E. Sakazakii from consumption of follow-up formulae (i.e. countries with substantial populations of immunocompromised babies) similar criteria for E. sakazaki could be introduced for follow-up formula as for powdered formula for infants.

Follow-up formulae should only be used for the intended target population. Unfortunately, they are often consumed by babies younger than six months of age. The standard stresses the need to address such product misuse issues through education campaigns and training.

Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods
The Commission adopted parameters for microbiological testing and environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. A maximum level was set for certain foods where the bacteria cannot grow, while in ready-to-eat products where growth is possible, no Listeria monocytogenes will be allowed. The parameters will help producers control and prevent contamination of ready-to-eat foods with this bacterium that can result in listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease. While healthy people rarely contract listeriosis, it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.The Commission also adopted regional standards for ginseng products, fermented soybean paste and gochujang.

"The standards and guidelines adopted this week will make a positive impact on the lives of people around the world," said CAC Chairperson Karen Hulebak. "The Commission is working faster than ever before to address the most pressing food safety challenges we face." Ezzeddine Boutrif, FAO Director, Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division, noted that Codex membership now represents 99 percent of the world's population. "Applying Codex standards and guidelines are an important part of ensuring that consumers in every part of the world can be protected from unsafe food," he said. The Commission also launched new work projects, among them establishing maximum levels for melamine in food and feed. In the last few years, high levels of melamine have been added illegally to food and feed products, causing illness and death. Because it has many industrial uses, melamine may be found in trace amounts in the food chain due to its presence in the environment. Setting maximum limits will help governments differentiate between unavoidable melamine occurrence and the deliberate adulteration of food and feed.

Other new work proposals adopted by the Commission include:

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  Principles and guidelines to assist governments in the development and operation of comprehensive national food control systems that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade;




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  Practices to control viruses in food, especially norovirues (NoV) and hepatitis A (HAV) in fresh produce, mulluscan shell fish and ready-to-eat foods;




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  Prevention of aflatoxin (toxic substances produced by moulds and known to cause cancer in animals) contamination of Brazil nuts.




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  Setting maximum levels and defining sampling plans for Fumonisins, (toxic substances produced by fungi) in maize and maize products.

"We welcome the participation of more developing countries in the meeting this year which reflects global awareness of food safety issue and the impact of Codex Trust Fund," said Dr. Jørgen Schlundt, Director of WHO's Food Safety department. Approximately 500 people, representing 125 countries, participated in the Commission meetings. Karen Hulebak of the United States was re-elected Chairperson; Knud Østergaard of Denmark, Sanjay Dave of India and Ben Manyindo of Uganda were re-elected Vice-Chairpersons.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), develops international food standards that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair trade practices in the food trade. The Commission has 181 member states and one member organization, the European Community.

New inspection standards for nursing homes

Wednesday, 1 July 2009 09:26

All public and private nursing homes are subject to an independent and transparent inspection regime from today. The regulations underpin the national quality standards for residential care settings for older people in Ireland. They were approved by Minister for Health Mary Harney last February.

It followed widespread consultations with service providers, residents and their families, the Health Service Executive and organisations representing elderly people. Homes will be assessed under 32 different standards. These include safeguards for the privacy and dignity of residents, the right to a written contract of care, hygiene guidelines and guarantees to protect people from abuse.

Inspections will begin across the country in the coming months. They will take place at any time during the day or night and may be either announced or unannounced. Reports will be published immediately after every inspection on the Health Information and Quality Authority website.

Welcoming the latest development, Ms Harney said the chief inspector of social services will now have the power to inspect all designated centres for older people. Dr Marion Witton, Chief Inspector of Social Services at HIQA, says new nursing home inspections will play an important part in protecting elderly people in care.

An estimated 21,000 people are in full-time residential care in Ireland.

Coughlan launches groceries consultation

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, has launched a public consultation process in relation to the introduction of a Code of Practice for Grocery Goods Undertakings.

It is intended to address concerns raised about the nature of the relationships between grocery goods businesses and, in particular, in the relationships between suppliers and retailers of grocery goods.

Launching the consultation, the Tánaiste said: "We have witnessed significant change in the Irish grocery goods sector over the past year, resulting in lower prices and better value for Irish consumers at home. While this is a positive result, the Government also fully appreciates the need to ensure that, in this drive for better value, there is transparency and a balance in the relationships between the various players in the grocery goods sector. Any Code of Practice must have as its key objective the need to achieve this balance between all stakeholders, including suppliers, producers, retailers and consumers."

The Tánaiste said that she had consulted closely with her colleagues, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, and the Minister of State for Food and Horticulture, Trevor Sargent, in preparing the consultation paper.

"In Ireland, the agri-food sector is one of our most important indigenous industries employing some 50,000 people directly and providing the primary outlet for the produce of 128,000 family farms," she said.

"Given this significance, and the importance of ensuring a vibrant and competitive retail sector, the introduction of a Code of Practice can provide a transparent framework for business conducted between all undertakings involved in the grocery goods route to market."

The consultation process has been welcomed by the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association. Its chief executive Mark Fielding said: "The Association is aware of several instances where small Irish suppliers have been approached and threatened by major retailers seeking exorbitant promotional payments to display their products in retail outlets."

However the farmers' group ICMSA has slammed the move and labelled it a 'cop out'. ICMSA President Jackie Cahill accused the Tánaiste of "operating a system of non-government though endless consultation and prevarication that positively avoids taking necessary decisions in the national interest." IFA Deputy President Derek Deane said the move is a clear acknowledgement that supermarkets are abusing their dominant position in the food chain, with the result that farmers are being forced to accept prices below the cost of production.

Mr Deane said: "The Tánaiste's proposals for a Code of Practice are a positive development, but to be effective in eliminating abuses by supermarkets, the code must be established on a statutory basis and enforced by a properly-resourced Ombudsman. The legislation must outlaw threats of delisting and other strong arm tactics by supermarkets which compel suppliers to fund price discounting."

Retail Ireland Director Torlach Denihan said: "Retailers look forward to participating in the consultation process on this draft code. In this process the interests of consumers must be taken into account. It is important that no obstacles are put in the way of retailers securing the best value from their suppliers and, in turn, delivering the most competitive price to consumers."

Retail Ireland is the representative body for the entire retail sector in Ireland and is affiliated to IBEC.

Celebrity haunt Sheraton on the Park up for sale

SYDNEY'S old-style celebrity hotels may soon be a thing of the past following word this week that Sheraton on the Park is for sale. Hot on the heels of the closure of The Sir Stamford Hotel, formerly the Ritz Carlton, at Double Bay in March (a hotel favoured by Madonna and George Bush Sr and where Michael Hutchence died) and the closure a few years back of Kings Cross' most famous celebrity doss The Sebel Townhouse, comes news Starwood Pacific Hotels has put the Elizabeth St establishment on the market.


Long before Michael Jackson started dangling babies from windows, he married nurse Debbie Rowe at the 557-room hotel overlooking Hyde Park. In 1996, hours after his Sydney concert, Jackson surprised the world with his civil ceremony wedding. A pregnant Rowe was later spotted contemplating the view from a Sheraton on the Park balcony.

The luxury hotel has continued to house international celebrities on their Sydney stopovers. John Travolta and pop star Justin Timberlake have also enjoyed the room service at the city venue, as have lovebirds Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom.

Hotel managing director Sean Hunt said that although the hotel was for sale, the landmark hotel would not be closing. It was on the market as part of an asset sale by Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide and Starwood would continue to manage the hotel for the new owners. It is one of a number of hotels in the group up for sale.

"The hotel has been a strong performer and has fared particularly well during the current global economic crisis," Hunt said.

Keaton fights for hotel with the sexy curves

Diane Keaton is spearheading a campaign in Los Angeles to save the Century Plaza Hotel. Her image is more Manhattan than LA, but the actress Diane Keatonis in no comedy mood as she spearheads a campaign in Los Angeles to save the Century Plaza Hotel, a curving glass and steel memento of American 1960s architecture that may soon be razed by the wrecking ball.



One year after purchasing the Century Plaza, at the heart of Century City in West Hollywood, developer Michael Rosenfeld has unveiled plans to demolish it and replace it with two gleaming towers designed by the prestigious New York firm of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Mr Rosenfeld insists that he has been encouraged by city authorities keen to reconfigure Century City, a complex of offices, restaurants and residences, making it greener and more pedestrian-friendly. Plucking the Plaza from the map would make that possible.

But like the nearby and still more venerable Ambassador Hotel that was torn down three years ago, the Plaza is an important name in Los Angeles lore as the place where stars, politicians and tycoons would regularly hang out to relax and do their deals, Ronald Reagan among them.

"We need to honour our city's history more than we need two new towers," Ms Keaton, who is a board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in an interview with The New York Times. The hotel's distinctive curving facade made it appear, according to Ms Keaton, "like a sexy woman surrounded by ogling men – Sophia Loren in the 1960s".

Ms Keaton will surely be aware, however, that nostalgia is often a poor match for the march of progress and the lure of the dollar. She was also at the forefront of efforts to save the Ambassador, which could claim historical importance as the place where Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.

On the day it became clear that the Ambassador was definitively doomed – it was finally blasted to bits in 2006 – Ms Keaton appeared before the microphones to bemoan the complacency of a "confused public who could do nothing more than shrug their shoulders in apathy".

The Plaza's architectural significance is that it was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the man behind New York's twin towers, destroyed in 2001's terror attacks. But Mr Rosenfeld, who described the hotel as "a jewel" before buying it, seemed unmoved by Ms Keaton's appeal.

In a statement his company said it was "disappointed to see the Century Plaza Hotel politicised... at a time when the city of Los Angeles is suffering from extreme economic hardship and is in dire need of new jobs... This is not considered one of the more significant Minoru Yamasaki buildings and is not characteristic of his style."

Good News for Jurys During Turbulent Times in Irish Hotel Trade

Thursday July 30, 2009




While a number of hotels are struggling and the Clare-based Lynch group is entering voluntary examinership, there have also been some optimistic news from the Irish accommodation front - Jurys Inns is going against the trend and has announced a planned € 70,000,000 investment in expansion.

The only snag being ... we are not talking about Jurys Inn Christchurch or Jurys Inn Custom House here. The UK and (starting with a hotel in Prague) mainland Europe are the main targets here. Some sites earmarked are definitely geared towards the 2012 London Olympics as well ...

Still, in these days when doom and gloom seems to be everywhere, it is refreshing to see some good news from the Irish hotel trade.

Michael Jackson's personal chef opens up about the events surrounding King of Pop's death.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Kai Chase (Michael Jackson's personal chef) says that she knew something was wrong that morning because Dr. Conrad Murray did not come downstairs to get the juice and granola he usually brought to Jackson for breakfast.

The 37-year-old chef tells the AP she had gotten used to seeing Murray coming and going at the house, and that he usually arrived around 9 or 9:30 p.m. and would stay at the house over night.
Chase also said she would sometimes see the doctor coming down the stairs with oxygen tanks, but never asked about them, and did not think that Jackson appeared to be on drugs or in poor health.

In the interview, Chase describes what she remembers from the day of Jackson's death. "I started preparing the lunch and then I looked at my cell phone and it was noon," she says. "About 12:05 or 12:10 Dr. Murray runs down the steps and screams, 'Go get Prince!' He's screaming very loud. I run into the den where the kids are playing. Prince (Jackson's oldest son) runs to meet Dr. Murray and from that point on you could feel the energy in the house change."

She goes on to explain that she saw paramedics running up the stairs, and that Jackson's daughter Paris was crying. She says that security guards informed her at around 1:30 p.m. that her and the other staff needed to leave the house because Jackson was being taken to the hospital.

Jackson's chef was originally hired by the late King of Pop in March, but was let go shortly after in May. She was asked to come back in June to help Jackson prepare for his London tour. Chase tells the AP that she was asked to accompany Jackson in London for his "This is It" tour, and she had completed all the appropriate paperwork and was preparing to leave for London on July 3.

FDA approval for fruit and veg labelling tattoos is “imminent”

Improved traceability and greater consumer convenience are the benefits claimed for new laser etching technology which allows information to be marked indelibly on the surface of fruit and vegetables. Jan Narciso, microbiologist at the ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory, Winter Haven, Florida, told FoodProductionDaily.com: “This technology uses a carbon dioxide laser beam to etch information on the first few outer cells of fruit and vegetables.” Once etched, the information cannot be distorted, peeled off, washed off or changed.

The indelible mark offers a new, more reliable and quicker way to improve the security of produce and to check its progress through the food chain or at supermarket checkout lines, claimed the scientist.

The conventional way of attaching information to fruit and vegetables is with sticky paper labels. Known as Price Look-up (PLU) stickers, these sometimes prove unpopular with consumers, producers and distributors.

Track produce
For example, grapefruit has long been labelled with PLU stickers which can easily become detached making it more difficult to track produce back to the source. Alternatively, the labels can adhere to produce too tightly making it difficult for consumers to remove them.

Also, sticky labels can mar the fruit and stick to one another during storage or distribution. The etched information, sometimes supplemented by the injection of food dyes, could include country of origin, and a producer reference number. Federal US regulations require all imported produce to be labeled with the country of origin.

“We expect to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imminently for this laser etching technology (which will open the way for its commercial use),” said Narciso.
According to her research, carbon dioxide etching does not compromise the quality or durability of the treated fruit and vegetables. “Etching fruit peel does not increase water loss or facilitate the entrance of food pathogens or post harvest pathogens if the laser label is covered with wax,” said Narciso.

Food pathogens
Wax treatment may be unnecessary, she continued. The tiny holes etched into the grapefruit peel are effectively sealed by the carbon dioxide which prevents decay and the entry of food pathogens. Even when fruit was inoculated with decay organisms and then etched with the laser, no pathogens were found in the peel or the fruit interior.

But wax coverage may be necessary to eliminate water loss, admitted Narciso. The laser etching process takes seconds and is much quicker than attaching sticky labels, she added. In addition to grapefruit, testing is also being conducted on other citrus fruits, tomatoes, garlic and avocados.

The technology was invented by former University of Florida scientist Greg Drouillard who now works with the agricultural co-operative Sunkist Growers. Meanwhile in Japan, apples have been sold with scannable bar coding etched into the wax on their skin.

Carlton Hotel Group takes over Days Hotel in City

Fri 24th July 2009

The future of Days hotel Galway city looks secure with the news that Carlton Hotel Group is taking it over.

The luxury hotel group has entered a long-term franchise agreement with the owners of Days Hotel Galway, which will now be called Carlton Hotel Galway city.

There will be no change of ownership and the management and 150 staff of the hotel on the Dublin Road will not be affected.

The Carlton Group already has nine luxury properties in Ballinasloe, Wexford, Mayo, Kildare, Donegal, Limerick, Cork and Dublin.

Vintners warn of job losses, pub closures

Publicans are warning that up to 5,000 jobs could be lost if new measures to offset a decline in the pub trade are not introduced.


The Vintners' Federation of Ireland has also called for the establishment of an ombudsman to monitor financial institutions in their dealings with small and medium enterprises. The VFI is also calling for a cut in VAT and in local authority rates, and warns that the sector is facing further substantial job losses.

Publicans attending today's meeting of the VFI national executive council say the industry, especially in rural areas, is in dire straits. The federation says research it has carried out indicates that there have been at least 4,800 job losses in the sector in the past year, and warns of a further 5,000 if current trends continue, with more pub closures inevitable.

Almost half of publicans surveyed have reduced opening hours as a result of a loss in trade of between 10% and 20%, a trend that has continued throughout the summer for most. The federation wants a substantial cut in VAT rates from 21.5 to 15%, and from 13.5 to 10%. It also wants no change in current permissible blood alcohol levels and for employment incentives available to the manufacturing sector to be extended to the hospitality industry.

The federation called what it termed as an 'emergency crisis meeting' of its members to discuss the future of the Irish pub trade. The VFI represents mostly rural publicans and has 5,000 members nationwide.

Kellogg plant halts production on Listeria discovery

Kellogg has shutdown production at one of its US food plants after the discovery of listeria there by health inspectors.




The food giant voluntarily halted production of Eggo waffles at its Atlanta facility after officials from the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) found Listeria monocytogenes in a food sample.

Investigation
Kellogg has launched an investigation into plant hygiene to determine the cause of the contamination, said a GDA statement. The company will carry out a full regimen of cleaning and sanitisation and “execute its hygienic restoration plan” under supervision from the GDA before resuming production at the factory in Bucknell Drive.

The discovery was made after a laboratory test by the safety watchdog found the potentially deadly bug in a sample of Kellogg’s Buttermilk Eggo Waffles. The sample had been taken as part of a routine inspection.

The company confirmed that the potentially tainted waffles had been shipped out to retail outlets nationwide.

A Kellogg spokesperson told FoodProductionDaily.com: “No illnesses have been reported to date from any of the recalled products; Kellogg Company is taking this step out of an abundance of caution as a potential food safety issue was identified through routine testing. No other Eggo products are part of this recall. The recalled products were distributed to grocery stores across the United States."

Recall
The company confirmed it had issued a limited voluntary recall of the following products manufactured at the Atlanta site:

It confirmed the company had issued a limited recall of the following products manufactured at the Atlanta site:

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a potentially serious disease. The most common manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems such as persons with chronic diseases or taking chemotherapy for cancer.

21st Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards

THE 2009 FINALISTS

Five Star Hotels
Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort, Adare, Co Limerick
Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa, Killarney, Co Kerry
Dylan, Dublin 4
The Europe Hotel & Resort, Killarney, Co Kerry
The Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin 4
Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork

Four Star Hotels
Harvey’s Point Hotel, Lough Eske, Co Donegal
Jurys Cork Hotel, Cork
Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, Rosslare, Co Wexford
Knockranny House Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo
Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Galway
Westport Plaza Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo

Three Star Hotels
Claregalway Hotel, Claregalway, Co Galway
Clew Bay Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo
Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel, Adare, Co Limerick
Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry

Country Houses & Guesthouses
Dunbrody Country House Hotel, Arthurstown, Co Wexford
Gregan’s Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughen, Co Clare
Mount Falcon Country House Hotel, Ballina, Co Mayo
Moy House, Lahinch, Co Clare
Rathmullan House, Rathmullan, Co Donegal
Rathsallagh House Hotel & Golf Club, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow

Hotel Groups
Carlton Hotel Group
Hotel Partners
Maldron Hotels
Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts Ireland

Fine Dining Restaurants
The Dining Room at Gregan’s Castle, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare
The Harvest Room Restaurant at Dunbrody Country House Hotel, Arthurstown, Co Wexford
The House Restaurant at The Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Co Waterford
Thornton’s Restaurant, Dublin 2

Bistros & Brasseries
Castle Murray House Hotel Restaurant, Dunkineely, Co Donegal
Dylan Restaurant at Dylan, Dublin 4
O’Grady’s on the Pier, Barna, Co Galway
The Ballymore Inn, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare
The Poet’s Rest, Slane, Co Meath

Casual Dining
Andy’s Bar & Restaurant, Monaghan
Lohan’s Café Bar & Restaurant, Salthill, Galway
Maddens Bistro at the Clew Bay Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo
The Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel, Dublin 2

Ethnic Restaurants
Ananda, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14
Bella Cuba, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Chakra by Jaipur, Greystones, Co Wicklow
Pinocchio, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Cafés & Coffee Shops
Café Leon, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2
Pinocchio, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Queen of Tarts, Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Stonecutters Kitchen, Doolin, Co Clare
The Silk Road Café at The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin 2

In House Caterers
Aramark/Campbell Catering at 02 Dublin, Dublin 2
Kylemore Food Group at Bank of Scotland Ireland, Dublin 2
Sodexo at PayPal, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Institutional Caterers
Aramark/Campbell Catering at Mount Carmel Private, Churchtown, Dublin 14
The Black Olive Catering Company at Barretstown, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare
Kylemore Food Group at St Francis Hospice, Raheny, Dublin 5
Skibbereen Residential Care, Skibbereen, Co Cork
Wheatfield Prison, Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Wine Experience
The Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel, Dublin 2
The Four Seasons, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
West at The Twelve, Barna, Co Galway

Customer Experience
Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort, Adare, Co Limerick
Dunbrody Country House Hotel, Arthurstown, Co Wexford
Harvey’s Point Hotel, Lough Eske, Co Donegal
Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork
Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry
Moy House, Lahinch, Co Clare

Good luck to all our 2009 finalists!

41% risk food poisoning from eating foods after ‘use-by’ date

A new survey highlights confusion between ‘use by date’ and ‘best before’ dates. 41% of Northern Ireland’s over 60s put their health at risk by not checking the ‘use by’ date on food labels according to a survey(1) released today by safefood and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI). The survey marks the start of National Food Safety Week which runs from 15th to 21st June 2009.

As the number of cases of Listeria has increased recently within this age group, the aim of this year’s National Food Safety Week is to remind people about good food hygiene and the correct methods for storing and handling food at home.

The survey also revealed that 59% of people reported eating perishable foods two days or more past their ‘use-by’ date, which can lead to food poisoning. The ‘use-by’ date is the date that food can be used up to, provided it has been stored as described on the label. The ‘use-by’ date is not to be confused with the ‘best before’ date which provides an indication of the quality of the food. It is okay to eat food after a ‘best before’ date but NEVER after a ‘use-by’ date.

Commenting on the survey results, Dr. David McCleery safefood said “Older people are more susceptible to certain types of food poisoning than they would have been when they were younger. We would remind them to read and observe ‘use by’ dates on food labels and make sure their fridges are kept cool enough, 5°C or less. These simple but effective changes could make a big difference in reducing the risk of food poisoning”.

Kathryn Baker, Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland said “National Food Safety Week gives us a great opportunity to highlight practical steps people can take in order to reduce the risk of illnesses such as Listeria. Listeria can be very serious and almost all people who get food poisoning from this bug end up in hospital. Over 60s are particularly at risk, the number of cases of Listeria in this age group has more than doubled in the UK since 2000, and so our campaign focuses on food hygiene advice for this particular group of people.”

The report also highlighted that 53% of those surveyed did not know the correct temperature for their fridge and of those who claimed they knew; 20% were incorrect. Keeping fridges at 5°C or less by using a fridge thermometer can also help with minimising the risk of food poisoning in the home.

A Bingo game called “Beat the Bingo Bug!” has been developed for use with older people’s groups that get together socially and is a fun way of highlighting the importance of food hygiene. The game will be sent to these groups across Northern Ireland with the help of district councils and organisations such as Age Concern Help the Aged NI for playing during National Food Safety Week.

The game features food hygiene messages such as “Don’t miss that date” and “Chill out” instead of calling out bingo numbers, which players then match on their Bingo cards. There are five themes to the game; choosing food, cooking, chilling, cleaning and preventing cross contamination of germs.