Hook, Line & Stinker
THE SUNDAY AGE
Saturday October 14, 1995
ON THE world's biggest island, getting a fish on the table while still fresh should be easy.
But many of the fish we buy have enjoyed a tour of the Australian transport system long before they turn up in the fish shops.
A snapper caught off the north-west coast of Western Australia will be shipped to shore in a refrigerated fishing boat, trucked to Perth, flown to Melbourne, trucked to the wholesale fish market and taken by a fishmonger back to the fishshop.
This epic journey sounds a recipe for a bacterial-inspired disaster but according to Melbourne fishmonger, Malcolm McLaughlin, it takes just over 24 hours from sea to shop. And, most of the fish we buy are caught closer to home, which, he says, means he can guarantee he can have fish on your table the day they are caught.
Mr McLaughlin, managing director of R.F. McLaughlin and Consolidated Fishermen, says the demand for fresh fish has forced many fishermen and wholesalers to improve the way they catch and store fish.
Mr McLaughlin says most of the tuna which is caught off the east coast of Australia is usually in retail shops the next day. Despite sophisticated cool storage facilities on the trawlers and at the markets, bad fish occasionally slips through. ``We deal in large quantities and things can go wrong when the trawler holds the fish too long or they run out of ice," he says. ``But if I have 50 tonnes of fish in here I can smell if one has gone off." He says fish lose a day's shelf life for every hour they are not kept in temperatures of between zero and four degrees.
Mr McLaughlin says while the handling and storage of fresh fish is tightly controlled a number of roadside sellers still canvass Melbourne's western suburbs. ``Twenty years ago there were a lot of shonky operators going door to door trying to flog fish," he says. ``People are more aware of fresh fish and the changes in the industry has been phenomenal."
But because fish is renowned for its capacity to go off and cause illness, shoppers may be extra cautious about trying to ensure the fish they buy is fresh. But what about other foods?
Munched into a Granny Smith apple or savored a juicy bunch of grapes recently? Chances are that the apple was picked last April - about six months ago - and the grapes in May.
But most of the food we buy at the supermarket, butcher or greengrocer is harvested from the farm, fished out of the sea or killed at the abattoir a few days before it lands on our dinner table.
The increasing demand for fresh, preservative-free food, has created sophisticated storage and breeding techniques.
Despite the abundance of fresh food and hygienic handling techniques, thousands of Victorians are poisoned by food each year and some have died of food poisoning.
A 1992 Melbourne University study found that chicken, smallgoods and fried rice were the most common sources of food poisoning in Victoria that year.
Up to September this year, nearly 2000 cases of campylobacter food poisoning and 725 cases of salmonella were reported in Victoria. Campylobacter - a bacteria found in undercooked meat, poultry and unpasteurised milk - causes diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and fever.
Consumers are to blame, according to food experts and producers.
They say home refrigerators are not cold enough, we leave meat, chicken and dairy foods sitting in the car too long and don't take enough care when cooking meat and storing processed foods such as pates and soft cheeses.
Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton says children are no longer taught how to look after and prepare food in the home. She says most people aren't aware that you shouldn't store raw meat, chicken and fish above fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator.
``Our mothers' generation had this information about how to keep food and these skills are not being passed down anymore, " Ms Stanton says. ``Back then, people used to shop every day but now we shop once a week and we often dump our shopping in the boot of the car and go to another three shops."
It's usually in the home that bacteria festers and multiplies.
A US study found that refrigerators, kitchen sponges and tea towels hold salmonella bacteria and germs that cause urinary tract infection, skin ailments and other illnesses. In ideal conditions (above five degrees and below 60 degrees) bacteria can grow in number to more than two million in seven hours.
While bacteria, such as salmonella and shigella, can be killed with cooking above 70 degrees, the potentially fatal listeria can grow in the refrigerator on sliced processed meats, pates and soft cheeses.
Dr John Carnie, of the Department of Health and Community Services, says listeria is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and the elderly. He says careful food preparation in the home reduces the number of people who suffer from food poisoning each year.
Agnes Tan, a food bacteriologist, says consumers do little to reduce the risk of food poisoning. She says most refrigerators in the home are kept at 10 degrees and most people are careless when preparing food or shopping on warm days.
Mrs Tan, who works at the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit at Melbourne University, says it's not the producers and processors who contaminate food, but the way it's handled once it reaches the home.
``People may not thaw a chicken properly and when they go to cook it the outside might be nice and brown but it could still be frozen inside," she says. ``This means the bugs aren't killed."
Or, she says, raw chicken transferred from a plate to a baking tray and then placed back on the original dirty plate once it's cooked is a common cause of cross contamination.
But while experts may blame consumers, numerous studies have found that many pre-packaged foods sold in shops contain high levels of bacteria. A national study found that one-third of the pre-packaged beef, chicken and salad sandwiches tested by the Australian Consumers Association had high levels of listeria.
Melbourne City Council tries to keep a tight watch over commercial food preparation and handling, especially in the warmer months. Mr Lan Chuter, the council's manager of Health Services, says his officers investigate between 150 and 200 food-related cases a year.
Government bodies and local councils are working hard to improve the way fresh food is prepared. Melbourne Council regularly sends out pamphlets to retail food outlets and runs courses in hygienic food handling and preparation. Earlier this year the State Government introduced its Food Hygiene Code for caterers aimed at improving standards in the industry.
With proper refrigeration techniques, chicken should have a shelf life of between seven and 11 days, says Dr Peter Scott, a consultant veterinarian to the poultry industry.
Dr Scott says it takes only 48 hours for chickens to reach the consumer. He says chickens are usually collected at 3am and processed and packaged by 3pm the same day. The demand for breast fillets and poultry products such as chicken Maryland or chicken Kiev delays the delivery process by a few hours.
While the shelf life of chicken and meat is limited, some fruits, such as apples, can be held in cold storage for a year says Mr Ian McLachlan, executive officer of the Apple and Pear Growers Association. Because annual production is 20 million apples, a large percentage of production must be kept in cool rooms and released throughout the year.
Mr McLachlan says some apples, such as FUJI and Pink Lady, improve their flavor in cold storage. ``Most of the fruit is sold off the tree between February and May," he says. ``Usually the fruit is nice and a bit cheaper around this time."
Eating dangerously.
The bacteria.
Listeria: Is found in raw meat, raw vegetables, unpasteurised milk, soft cheese, pate, diced chicken, sliced deli meat, smoked fish and mussels. It can cause fever, headaches, aches, pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, meningitis and septicaemia. Healthy people may not be affected but it can be potentially fatal in pregnant women, the elderly and people with poor immune systems.
Salmonella: Is often found in undercooked meat, particularly chicken, and sometimes in eggs. When raw meat is undercooked the bacteria can survive. It can cause diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and headaches.
Shigella: Causes a type of gastroenteritis called shigellosis.
Symptoms include diarrhoea (which may contain blood, mucus and pus), fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Illness can last between four and seven days.
Campylobacter: Is found in chickens, birds, cattle, dogs and cats, in undercooked meat, particularly poultry, and unpasteurised milk.
The food.
Potatoes.
Eating green potatoes can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and neurological disturbances. The toxicity is caused by an accumulation of solanine in the skin. This can be removed by peeling the potato.
Eating fried potato skins increases the risk of solanine poisoning.
Red kidney beans.
Legumes contain a wide range of anti-nutritional and biologically- active compounds, which can cause excessive intestinal gas and diarrhoea. Beans also contain haemagglutinin, which cannot be destroyed by boiling. It increases five-fold when the beans are heated, making partially-cooked beans more toxic than raw beans. There have been recorded cases of food poisoning caused by red kidney beans in Victoria.
Zucchini.
Food poisoning from bitter zucchini was reported for the first time in Australia in 1982. Cases of diarrhoea and vomiting were recorded eight hours after eating the zucchini. Blackjack zucchini produce a bitter compound, curcurbitacin, that cannot be destroyed by cooking. Seafood.
Bacteria and viruses are the most common cause of seafood poisoning, which can be reduced by adequate refrigeration of fish catches. Fish from the tuna, mackeral and bonito family have caused some people who have eaten it to flush, vomit, feel nauseous, suffer diarrhoea and swelling of the face and tongue.
Eating shellfish and oysters can cause temporary paralysis and may restrict breathing. Contaminated shellfish and oysters may also cause a loss of feeling in the hands and a tingling in the mouth.
Source: Department of Health and Community Services.
What NOT to do in your fridge.
Fish.
Raw fish sitting, uncovered, above cooked foods can lead to the transfer of bacteria. Fish should be cooked the day it is bought and kept covered on the lower shelves of the refrigerator until then. Foods such as fish and meat should be kept at between one and four degrees.
Cake.
Cooked foods, such this cake, should be kept at the top of the fridge (above the raw food) and should always be covered.
Refrigeration does not make food last forever, however, and a cake with cream, for instance, should be eaten within two days.
Soup.
This home-made pumpkin soup was made more than two weeks ago and has begun forming clumps. Keeping it for a couple of days in an airtight, glass container is acceptable but if it is not going to be used immediately it should be frozen.
Chicken.
If chicken is kept at the top of the fridge, juices containing salmonella can drip from the chicken and contaminate raw foods below so raw chicken should be kept covered at the bottom of the fridge. Stuffing should be added just before cooking.
Frozen chickens should be defrosted in the refrigerator.
Salad.
This salad was made more than four days ago. It is sitting, uncovered, in the middle of the fridge. Even with refrigeration raw ingredients, such as avocado, tomato and lettuce, go off.
Salad should be eaten as soon as possible and kept covered until then.
Meat.
Raw meat, such as mince, may leak blood even though the meat is packaged. It should be kept in a meat container away from other raw foods, such as fruit, vegetables and dairy products.
Tips on safe food handling.
. Reheat leftovers properly by heating to 70 degrees or higher for a minimum of two minutes. A general rule of thumb is that food must be piping hot. High temperatures reached in boiling, baking, frying and roasting will kill most bacteria.
. To avoid spreading bacteria, do not mix raw foods, such as chicken, with cooked foods.
. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting in your microwave oven. Never thaw frozen meat, poultry or seafood at room temperature. Bacteria survive on frozen foods and can multiply on thawing. Thoroughly cook thawed meats.
. Stuffing needs extra care. Bacteria from raw poultry can grow in stuffing. Stuff loosely, not more than two-thirds full, just before cooking and remove stuffing after cooking.
. Always marinate food in the refrigerator not at room temperature.
© 1995 THE SUNDAY AGE
