Food Bugs Cost $83 Million Each Year

Food-poisoning is costing New Zealand $83 million a year, says a new study for the Food Safety Authority.

The study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, made public this week, follows one in March which showed acute gastro-intestinal illness was more serious than previously thought, causing 4.6 million bouts of diarrhoea and/or vomiting a year.

Per capita, that is slightly higher than the rates in Australia and Canada.

New Zealand has a very high rate of campylobacteriosis, with more than half of cases linked to chicken. The number of campylobacter infection cases halved last summer, following intense focus including new controls on the poultry industry.

Case numbers have been climbing again since June, although this is thought to be the normal seasonal cycle.

The authority is appealing to home cooks to focus on kitchen hygiene with chicken and other raw meat.

The latest study found 90 per cent of the economic burden from foodborne disease is caused by lost productivity through time off work.

Source: New Zealand Herald