• Australian Food Safety Week aims to dispel food safety myths, such as ‘if you drop food on the floor, it’s ok to eat if picked up within five seconds’
• A Charles Sturt University expert says new data from the Food Safety Information Council shows an estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year, resulting in 47,900 hospitalisations and 38 deaths
• The theme of the 2025 Australian Food Safety Week (Saturday 8 to Saturday 15 November) is ‘Don’t swallow the myth – Food safety myth busting’

A Charles Sturt University parasitology expert warns that new data suggests Australians seem to have a casual disregard for hygiene and science-based evidence.

Professor in Veterinary Parasitology, Shokoofeh Shamsi (pictured above, centre) in the Charles Sturt School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences draws attention to the Food Safety Information Council’s findings on food poisoning risks.

Professor Shamsi also serves as a board member and Director of the Food Safety Information Council and urges people to be more aware of food poisoning caused by food-borne parasites.

Professor Shamsi emphasised that the Food Safety Information Council – Australia’s national voice for science-based, consumer-focused food safety information – has led important work in analysing and communicating these findings as part of Australian Food Safety Week.

The theme of the 2025 Australian Food Safety Week, from Saturday 8 to Saturday 15 November, is ‘Don’t swallow the myth – Food safety myth busting,’ developed and coordinated by the Council’s national team.

“The Food Safety Information Council has released a national survey that shows 66 per cent of Australians surveyed recall experiencing some form of food poisoning or gastro, and 51 per cent of those incorrectly blame the last thing they ate,” Professor Shamsi said.

“One of the most common myths is that it was the last thing you ate that gave you food poisoning, when in fact it could have been something you may have eaten many days or even months ago.”

Professor Shamsi said the Council aims to reduce the estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 47,900 hospitalisations, 38 deaths and a cost to the economy of $3 billion.

“As a nation, Australia can and should do much better than it is, as this level of food poisoning morbidity and mortality is largely preventable,” Professor Shamsi said.

She said at the very least, people should ensure they always wash their hands before handling food and starting to cook, and repeat frequently especially after handling raw meat or poultry, or vegetables with visible soil.

“Clean hands will markedly decrease the possibility of food poisoning and other diseases,” she said.

Professor Shamsi urges people to explore the Food Safety Information Council website to learn about Six Common Food Poisoning Myths That Can Be Busted, such as ‘food poisoning is mild and just a bit of gastro’ and ‘if you are a vegetarian your risk of food poisoning is low’.

The website also contains science-based information about why and how to use meat thermometers, fridge and freezer food safety and keeping lunchboxes safe.

And this article’s leading question: If you drop food on the floor, is it okay to eat it if it is picked up within five seconds? No, bacteria don’t politely wait five seconds to contaminate food dropped on the floor. Don’t eat dropped food as your floor will be contaminated from dirty shoes, by pets walking through and general day-to-day life.