The New South Wales Food Authority is warning businesses storing and transporting seafood, including cafes and restaurants, to ensure effective temperature control is maintained as temperatures soar across the east coast of Australia.
Temperatures reached above 40 in Sydney over the weekend.
According to the Food Authority, reports of Vibrio illness associated with Australian seafood including raw and cooked prawns, sushi, crabs, mussels, sardines, and oysters have increased in recent years. Vibrio are bacteria that naturally occur in marine environments with higher levels often found in waters above 15°C.
The bacteria are generally present in low numbers in seafood at harvest, but they can multiply to dangerous levels if not handled correctly. In such cases, they can cause foodborne infection or soft-tissue infection called Vibriosis. The resulting symptoms include watery diarrhea often paired with abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. While most people recover in a few days, some develop severe illness.
For restaurants and foodservice providers, it’s crucial that the cold chain be maintained. Raw seafood should be stored at 5°C or below to minimise the growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms. It should be kept in shallow, sealed, food-safe containers to prevent cross-contamination. For live seafood storage guidlines, refer to Safe Seafood Australia and the MFMA code for live seafood.
Food handlers should ensure seafood is chilled or placed on ice immediately after receiving it, and ensure the oldest stock is used first.
NSW guidelines for seafood handling can be found here.
Photograph by RDNE Stock project / Pexels.
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