10. JILL PETTIS (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Food Safety
What Government initiatives have been put in place to address food-borne illness in New Zealand?
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister for Food Safety) Link to this
Given that this week is Foodsafe Week, there are many food safety promotional activities being undertaken around the country, including television advertisements and brochures emphasising the importance of safe handling of food at home. I was pleased to present the Food Safety For Life Award to three students from Hastings Girls’ High School this morning for their clever and original advertisement stressing the importance of clean hands when handling food. The primary initiative of Government to reduce food-borne illness has been the establishment of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as a stand-alone agency and its extensive programme, including the campylobacter strategy.
Can the Minister please advise why it has been necessary to develop a campylobacter strategy, and what does it involve?
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL Link to this
The campylobacter strategy aims to halve the number of human cases of food-borne campylobacter infections over the next 5 years. This is necessary as New Zealand has one of the highest notified rates of campylobacter in the OECD. The poultry industry has agreed to meet a 90 percent reduction in the number of bacteria on chicken carcases from 1 April 2008. However, it is important that there is vigilance across the entire food chain and that consumers play their part, as well, by adhering to the four C’s—clean, cook, cover, and chill—all of which are vitally important in reducing food-borne illness.
Sue KedgleyWill the Minister consider, as part of her safe-handling strategy, requiring large warning labels to be placed on all fresh chicken sold in New Zealand stating “May contain campylobacter”, given the University of Otago’s recently released research that found that most chickens in New Zealand are contaminated, and that New Zealand should seriously consider banning the sale of fresh chicken for human consumption as a result?
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL Link to this
I do not think that labelling chickens in that regard would be of any assistance at all. The assertion that the member makes is quite correct—we do have an extremely high rate of campylobacter within our chickens. But I want to say to the House—and I think it is important given that we are heading into the barbecue season—that cooking chicken properly prevents the campylobacter from infecting humans by way of consumption.