Cathy Moir is the new Chair of the Food Safety Information Council replacing retiring Chair Rachelle Williams.

Cathy Moir is a long-term member of the Council and was previously Deputy Chair. She is a food microbiologist and Group Leader with CSIRO Agriculture and Food.  Through her various roles at CSIRO and Food Science Australia, Cathy has developed extensive knowledge of and expertise in the microbiology of a wide range of foods and food processes.  She provides expert professional services and advice to assist industry and government with matters relating to food safety hazard identification and characterisation, risk assessment and management of the microbiological safety and stability of food.  She is also actively involved with the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology.

‘I join members in expressing our appreciation of Rachelle’s achievements over her last 4 years as Chair, especially in establishing the Council as a Company limited by guarantee and as a health promotion charity.  We are all pleased that she has agreed to continue as a Director of FSIC and as Company Secretary,’ Ms Moir said.

‘I would also like to thank outgoing Board members Deb Kerr and Gavin Bucket for their contribution over the last few years and to welcome new Board members Brigitte Cox, who is an Honorary Fellow in Agriculture and Food in CSIRO, and Dean McCullum who is Principal Food Scientist at South Australian Department of Health. Lydia Buchtmann continues as a Board Director and Chair of the Communication Committee.

‘Our Australian Food Safety Week and summer campaign continues to be a success with our TV and radio ads worth $1,026,939 had they been purchased, our videos were shown in 5,300 GP surgeries during December and January reaching an audience of 15 million a month and we reached an audience of over 2 million with our media interviews.

‘However, we have a challenging year ahead in getting long term funding restored by the Federal Government so we can continue our important work and negotiations are currently underway, ‘Ms Moir concluded.

Media contact: Lydia Buchtmann 0407 626 688, info@foodsafety.asn.au

The Food Safety Information Council is a health promotion charity that aims to reduce the estimated 4.1 million cases of food borne illness in Australia each year. Food poisoning results, on average, in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, 300,000 prescriptions for antibiotics, and 2.1 million days of lost work each year. The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion.