A sample of 1,203 randomly selected Australian households participated in a national telephone food safety survey. All respondents were aged 18 years or over, were the main grocery buyers of the household, purchased red meat products at least once a month, and regularly prepared food in the household. There were significant gaps observed in the food safety knowledge of many respondents surveyed. Forty percent of respondents thawed raw meat at room temperature, 85% allowed cooked foods to cool at room temperature before refrigerating, and almost 70% of respondents were not aware of the correct refrigeration temperature for storage of perishable food. Almost 25% of respondents failed to identify that washing hands before handling food and during food preparation was important in reducing the risk of cross-contamination and possible foodborne illness. Seventy-five percent of the respondents recognized that there was a likelihood of foodborne illness occurring in the home, and 25% of respondents had changed their eating habits because of publicity surrounding food poisoning outbreaks. The findings raise important concerns about domestic food handling practices in Australian homes and the level of food safety knowledge in the community generally.

Poor food-handling and hygiene practices in domestic kitchens are thought to be the cause of a significant amount of foodborne illness. Food-handling practices were studied by video observation in 40 home kitchens in Melbourne, Australia. Participant households included those of single people, couples, and families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The kitchens were continuously video monitored for 1 or 2 weeks during 1997 and 1998. Infrequent hand washing; poor hand-washing technique; lack of hand washing prior to food preparation; inadequate cleaning of kitchen surfaces; involvement of pets in the kitchen; touching of the face, mouth, nose, and/or hair during food preparation; and lack of separate hand and dish towels were the most common unhygienic practices observed. Prior to video surveillance, participant households answered a food-safety questionnaire that related to preparation and handling of food. These answers were contrasted with the actual practices observed in each household. There was a significant variance between stated (answers provided in response to the questionnaire) and observed (via video monitoring) food-handling and hygiene practices. The results of this study raise concerns about consumer food-handling and hygiene practices in Australian domestic kitchens. A continuous and increased effort in the education of the public in the area of hygienic food preparation is indicated.