http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au en-gb safefoodconnexions.com.au 2009-7-6T00:00:00Z safefoodconnexions.com.au http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#44432 On Friday afternoon 3709 I was abruptly awoken from my comfortable state of relaxation to hear the media were reporting again on the safety of fresh produce in New South Wales. The issue stemmed from questions regarding pesticide residues on fresh fruit and vegetables and the lack of independent government testing since 2005. The Sydney Morning Heralds story headline was Consumers blind to toxic dangers at greengrocers. Now lets look at some facts. Last published data showed 2.4 of fruit and 5.3 of vegetables tested at Sydney Markets exceeded permitted maximum residue levels. But that does not mean our fresh produce is unsafe to eat. Nor is it toxic I have no argument with independent government testing to monitor the safety of the food supply. And I openly encourage balanced and practical information for consumers on fresh produce safety so that they can make informed food choices. However when a spokesperson from the federal governments APVMA went on ABC radio 2BL during drive time t... 2009-7-6T00:00:00Z http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#32197 This week marks Australias 12th annual food safety awareness week led by the Food Safety Information Council. The theme for 2008 is Food Adventures New Foods New Cooking Techniques. Some 12 long years ago I was privileged to coordinate the inaugural national food safety awareness campaign with the theme Food Safety Make it your Business At that time we promoted that every year there are some 1.2 million cases of food poisoning in Australia twelve years on the statistic has risen to an estimated 5.4 million cases of foodborne illness. So it would be fair to ask the question What effect is the public information campaigns on food safety having on reducing the burden of foodborne illness The public needs to be well informed about all food safety matters and there are many good government and industry websites providing relevant information. However I always come back to the position of promoting an evidencebased approach to food safety education and targeting information to address sp... 2008-11-10T00:00:00Z http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#31966 I have been avoiding commenting on the food safety crisis in China where the industrial chemical melamine has been added intentionally to certain infant formula dairy foods animal feedstuffs and most recently detected in eggs in Hong Kong from mainland China. The impact on human health and loss of several young lives due to foods adulterated with melamine is tragic and has been reported widely in the global media over the past month. I must admit that I have been skeptical about criticising Chinas food safety record having worked in developing countries of South East Asia for WHO on food safety education in rural communities in 200607. When some media outlets suggested that fruit and vegetables from China were also contaminated with melamine I waited to see the results of tests conducted by food safety agencies such as FSANZ. This week I was pleased to read communication from FSANZ stating that no samples of imported fruit or vege... 2008-11-5T00:00:00Z http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#30994 This year is the UN International Year of Sanitation calling for improved hygiene practices. A key event on the calendar is the inaugural Global Handwashing Day GHD httpwww.globalhandwashingday.org to be celebrated around the world on Wednesday 15 October. Some 72 countries have registered their participation in this global event see GHD website. The primary target audience is school children who are being encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water before eating and after using the toilet. Australian childrens music group The Wiggles launched GHD for UNICEF in Sydney today. Their catchy 48 second handwashing song can be heard at the UNICEF Australia website httpwww.unicef.com.au. Most Australians would be unaware that handwashing with soap could save one million lives each year. Furthermore washing with soap is among the most effective ways to prevent diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia which together account for the majority of child deaths. The body of social and behaviou... 2008-10-14T00:00:00Z http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#30384 The recent CHOICE NSW Cancer Council httpwww.cancercouncil.com.au consumer survey comparing traffic light labelling and food industrys Daily Intake Guide needs to be put into perspective. The following comments from Safe Food Connexions were run by AusFoodNews today. Basically what is being compared here is a simple visual cue coloured traffic lights to guide consumer choice regarding the healthiness of a packaged product versus a more detailed numerical system. Its not surprising that busy shoppers would find the simple traffic light labelling on front of packs appealing. However the important question is NOT whether one system is better than the other because we just dont know from the limited number of consumer surveys conducted here and overseas. From a public health perspective the significant question to ask is this Would mandatory nutrition labelling using the traffic light system improve or change consumer food choices and lead to healthier diets at the POPULATION LEVEL In... 2008-10-1T00:00:00Z http://www.safefoodconnexions.com.au/page3.htm#28840 Over the past month I have noticed a surge of interest in Behaviour Change Communications BCC in the food safety and health fields httpfsascience.net. We already know that information alone will not change high risk food safety practices and poor nutritional habits. Yet many government websites continue filling pages with facts on food safety and health for consumers. My question is this How much effort and resources go into evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the information provided I was pleased to see the new look Asian Food Information Centre AFIC website which focuses on food safety and nutrition in the Asian Region...its worth a browse. What impresses me most is the quality of the information presented. Congratulations AFIC on your 10th anniversary in 2008 2008-8-28T00:00:00Z