My missus is immune suppressed because of her double lung transplant. Food poisoning would kill her.

Food and Hygiene - is our reaction over
the top?

We're talking about people who are in
the business of providing these services
hopefully to make a profit - right?
Therefore insisting on compliance with
regulations for the delivery of these
services is part and parcel of what is
required. If businesses can't meet these
requirements then they should look at
another line of work. As for it costing
money? Yes, but it also makes money doesn't it?
And how much does it cost to end up in hospital
with food poisoning?

Have you ever suffered from food poisoning?
It's not something that I'd recommend to
anyone.

Strange thread rechtub, one that was never going to be supported what did they get you for.
Or did you just have the inspectors in and want to get even?
Seems so far no one thinks we go over board in this area for that I say thanks

The effects of botulism or salmonella are not a pretty sight.

Consumers already pay for good sanitation and health standards in Australia, it is part of the cost of doing business and is already reflected in the price. Being clean is not that hard nor is knowing how much to order to meet market demands albeit with some fluctuations.

Surely we can't be aspiring to match the conditions of those countries where you have to drink bottled water and be careful of what food you eat to avoid dysentery.

I say keep up the pressure on the dodgy food handlers.

I say keep up the pressure on the dodgy food handlers.

Probobly the best comment there. I agree with outlawing dodgy handlers.

So, ask your selves a few questions.

1. When you see mince sold at half the normal price, do you expect it to be of the same quality and processed the same hygenic way as the dear one?

2. When you visit the usually grubby chinese takeaway, do you see them wash the dish prior to placing your meal in it?

3. When you go to lunch/dinner, how often do you go to the bathroom and 'wash up' prior to consuming your meal? I am talking about directly prior.

4. Do you clean the utensiles prior to eating at a resaurant, or, do you simply assume they are clean?

I ask you to observe your local eatery and see how few people 'wash up' before eating. Remeber, they are consumming 'ready to eat' foods which have the highest risk of poisoning. You can ask yourself the same question.

Remember, these days 99% of food handlers preparing ready to eat foods wear gloves, yet, less than 1% of consumers wash thier hands before eating the food they purchased.

Remember,I am referring to after you purchase and before you eat, because you have handled either money, or a card, both of which are dirty.

And to my fan club, thanks once again for the insults. I expected nothing less.

Hygien complience within the meat industry is a very costly item and one that is usually exhaubed by the owner.

Our requirements are higher than those in ready to eat venues, yet, 99% of what we sell gets cooked prior to eating.

Another problem we face is that of pest control. It costs me about $1,000 per year.

We have to have our premises treated every two months, yet, the shops ajoining don't. The cocies you see came in from outside items or from ajoining shops. It is almost impossible to stop, eppecially if a butcher shop is next to a fruit shop as they are up there with the worst.

rehctub
We don't know what is happening behind the scences in a restaurant or take-away, and we do assume the cutlery is clean but we never absolutely know. This is why health inspections are necessary particularly in response to complaints. Mince bought on special is probably a bit older than the expensive stuff but I would expect it to be treated in the same hygienic condition as per the health standards and using a bit of commonsense.

A police officer friend of mine once had to call on a restaurant owner in relation to an offence and came through the back door. The amount of mice and other vermin milling around the food stocks and the muck on the floor was enough to report that owner to the food authorities.

Needless to say I have stored that one in my brain as one place never to eat.

There is no excuse these days for bad hygiene practices. Asking us to analyse what we do at home is not really relevant as we make those choices ourselves. We can be pigs or we can choose to be hygienic, use different cutting boards for meat and non-meat products etc. However in a restaurant we are at the mercy of the ethics of the food provider.