Significant gaps in consumer knowledge on food safety will require new and more extensive information campaigns if food poisoning outbreaks are to be effectively controlled, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. This follows the most extensive Irish survey ever undertaken on attitudes to food safety.
Many people, particularly the young, men, those who do not cook regularly and the less welloff, are unaware of proper food safety hygiene practices, it finds. The FSAI concluded this was due to "lack of awareness of the dangers associated with improper food preparation and handling" rather than carelessness.
The survey of 1,000 people by Research and Evaluation Services has implications for those in the beef industry as it indicates how Irish consumer eating habits have dramatically changed in the wake of the discovery of new variant CJD - the human equivalent of BSE - and increasing E.coli 0157 cases which caused 30 deaths in Britain and one in Ireland.
Three out of 10 people said they were eating less beef as a result of BSE, with 32 per cent eating other meats as a consequence, while 31 per cent said they had stopped eating mince and burgers. Consumers, however, expressed strong preference for Irish beef, with just 1 per cent favouring imported beef. Some 43 per cent of respondents said they were more careful about where they buy their meat since the E.coli outbreak in Scotland.
However, the information gaps are worrying and necessitate the targeting of specific groups to promote awareness, said Ms Ruth Houston, FSAI environmental health specialist. "Some findings are particularly alarming. For example, 41 per cent of people are not washing utensils and chopping boards between preparing raw and cooked food. Cross-contamination is a big risk here, as raw meats and poultry can contain dangerous foodborne bacteria."
These microbes can be easily transferred to a plate, utensil or hand previously in contact with raw product, and then contaminate cooked food. Cleaning between uses is very important, Ms Houston said. Cross-contamination was responsible for a lot of the salmonella outbreaks this summer - the survey, conducted with a similar one in the North, was carried out before these outbreaks.
The finding that 5 per cent reported suffering from food poisoning in the past 12 months "is quite a high percentage" and the varying reasons given by people indicate a need to raise awareness of the likely causes of food poisoning and of proper procedures to eliminate it.
The survey suggests many people do not read food labels, which not only contain nutrient information but also "best before" and "use by" dates. In response to the findings, the FSAI has decided to set up mobile information centres in addition to a walk-in centre at its Dublin headquarters and a telephone helpline.
