NZ survey identify food pathogen concerns
New Zealand with only a population of 6 million people is a nation of food worriers after a 750 people survey found some interesting data on their views of food and food borne pathogens.
Interestingly, scientists believe people may be anxiously worrying over small issues that pose little risk to their health.
In the phone survey conducted for the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), they found that salmonella was the worst food fear, with 77 per cent being “very concerned” about it.
In addition, an antibiotic in meat was next with 67 per cent and campylobacter with 63 per cent.
But scientist Dr Donald Campbell said people were missing the three biggest threats to life, the amount of salt, fat and sugar in their diet.
Interestingly, people were more concern about eating at local buffets, food halls and ethnic restaurants than food made at home in an unhygienic way.
Campbell, the NZFSA principal adviser of public health, was surprised salmonella was the most feared.
“I would have expected campylobacter to be higher than salmonella,” he said.
Campylobacter had a greater impact on the community than salmonella. There were generally 10 times as many cases of campylobacter in a year than salmonella, said Campbell.
New Zealand had a 15 per cent rise in notified campylobacter cases last year to 15,873, compared with 1335 cases of salmonella.
Both are food-borne illnesses that have been associated with chicken and raw meats, and can cause symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and headache.
Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey put campylobacter high on his list of concerns.
But he said many other bugs lurked in food, including norovirus which causes gastroenteritis’s of which there had been outbreaks in Christchurch.
Antibiotics used in animals for therapeutic purposes and to prevent disease may scare consumers towards vegetarianism, but “the evidence is of it being a very low risk,” Campbell said.
Listeria was a rarer food-borne illness (19 cases nationally last year) but could have devastating consequences, he said. At least half of cases occurred in pregnant women and one in four of their babies have died.
Listeria is linked to deli meats, poultry products, smoked seafood’s, soft cheeses and pre-cooked sausages. However stronger regulations have forced many food manufacturers to comply with strict hygiene.
Participants were more spooked about the use of pesticides in food production and additives.
More than 60 per cent of participants were “very concerned” about their potential effects.
Campbell said these were more “perceived risk” than actual risk, as pesticides and additives were covered by regulations.
The authority commissions the surveys every few years to gauge public feeling and tailor its food safety messages. “We eat at least three times a day, so it matters to us all,” Campbell said.
Genetically modified food greatly concerned 56 per cent of respondents, about the same as in two previous years, whereas a new category, food from cloned animals, worried 54 per cent.
“There is such a small use of genetically modified food. I would not put them as high on the list,” said Campbell.
Food allergies and irradiated food brought up the rear, with 47 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.
