A new food safety advertising campaign is being piloted in Busselton to reduce the cases of food poisoning that occur in the home.
The campaign calls on people to ‘Play it Food Safe’ and Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill when they prepare, handle and store food.
Developed by the Department of Health, to coincide with the start of National Food Safety Week (10-17 November), the campaign is the first of its kind in Western Australia.
Western Australia has one of the highest rates of food poisoning among OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, with reported Salmonella cases almost doubling between 2014 and 2017.
The most common cause of foodborne illness in WA is from two types of bacteria, salmonella and campylobacter.
Busselton was chosen for the pilot campaign, as the South West region experienced one of the highest rates of campylobacter-related food poisoning cases in WA during 2018.
This campaign is a timely reminder for the Busselton community about preventing foodborne illness ahead of the warmer summer months. It will include advertising on local TV and radio, in the press and digital media, as well as in shopping centres.
The Play it Food Safe campaign calls on people to enjoy meals prepared at home but be aware that the majority of food poisoning cases occur in the home.
Research will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign and the Busselton community are encouraged to participate.
Preventing food poisoning at home is simple – remember to Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.
For Play it Food Safe tips, visit healthywa.wa.gov.au/foodsafety. To view the campaign resources, go to www.health.wa.gov.au/campaigns.
ENDS
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