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Food Writer’s Award Announced

Published: Thu 5 Dec 2002 11:10 AM
Food Writer’s Award Announced
Christchurch food editor Kate Fraser has won the New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership 2002 Award for Food Writers.
Ms Fraser, food editor at The Press, won the award with her article ‘BBQ Blues’ published in October. The prize, sponsored by Meat New Zealand, is $1500.
The award is run in conjunction with Foodsafe Week from December 2 to 8.
The judges said Ms Fraser’s article was well written, interesting and informative. It conveyed the New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership’s four Cs message – clean, cook, cover, chill and illustrated perfectly how important safe food handling is in the home. Foodsafe Partnership spokesman Dr Greg Simmons said 40 percent of the estimated 119,000 cases of food-borne illness every year were caused by incorrect food handling in the home.
“Summer is a high risk time. People are having barbecues, picnics and parties. In the heat of the moment it’s easy to forget basic food safety rules. But a couple of simple actions like washing your hands regularly and keeping food cold either in the fridge or in chilly bins can save people a lot of problems, not to mention a trip to the doctor or worse, hospital. The last thing people need this Summer is to make their friends and family sick. Safe food handling practises are vital in the home,” Dr Simmons said.
The New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership promotes food safety messages to consumers with an emphasis on the 4Cs - clean, cook, cover, chill. Our messages are simple:
Clean hands before handling food. Wash knives and utensils and scrub chopping boards. Cook chicken, meat patties and sausages thoroughly. Reheat leftovers till steaming hot. Cover food. Store raw and cooked food separately. Chill food. Use a chilly bin with a frozen chill pad when cooking and eating outdoors.
The New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership was set up in 1998. It was formed as a result of concern about high levels of food-borne illness in New Zealand and recognition that no matter how much care is taken to produce safe food, food handling by consumers at home plays a key role in preventing food-borne illness.
More information on safe food handling practices is available at www.foodsafe.org.nz or www.nzfsa.govt.nz .

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